1,000 Apply for Disaster Aid After Quakes

Almost 1,000 residents of Southern California’s earthquake-damaged High Desert and mountain regions have requested government disaster aid since authorities began accepting applications this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday.

Officials opened disaster application centers this week in Big Bear City and Yucca Valley, and mobile facilities are scheduled to be in operation through Monday at sites in Johnson Valley and Forest Falls.

Those seeking aid may also apply by telephone between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., seven days a week, at toll-free numbers: 1-800-462-9029, and, for the hearing-impaired, 1-800-462-7585.

Some victims may begin receiving relief checks as soon as next week, said Rick McGuire, an agency spokesman.

Meanwhile, California National Guard units have put up five dormitory-style tents at Big Bear High School to supplement emergency housing resources at the Red Cross shelter, which is in the school gymnasium. Each tent can accommodate 25 people.

Guard units will remain on the site, maintaining generators and providing other essential services, authorities said. In the hard-hit Yucca Valley and Landers areas, National Guard soldiers have been providing water from trucks for the last week.