Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Quake Damage Estimates Drop to $244 Million

SANTA CLARITA — City officials have downgraded damage estimates from the Northridge earthquake, saying new figures put the citywide destruction at $244 million.

That is $52 million lower than the original estimates.

Damage from the Jan. 17 earthquake is now placed at $244.4 million by city officials, one-sixth less than the February figures. The new figures were released after a closer inspection of public facilities, private property and other records.

The largest adjustment downward--about $30 million--came from a clerical error that inflated damages to local post offices.

City officials attribute the mistake to confusion after the earthquake, while city staffers worked around the clock in large tents in the City Hall parking lot.

Other revised estimates include lowering damage figures by $17 million for highways and bridges, by $5 million for public facilities and by $4 million for utility equipment. Estimates also show $3 million in damage to mobile homes, an area not previously recorded.

Officials say the figures don’t influence how the city is budgeting for repairs.

“The only reason we had those numbers was to give people an idea of the magnitude of the damage we had,” said Ken Pulskamp, assistant city manager. “It just doesn’t have any impact on us.”

The $52-million drop won’t alter what Santa Clarita receives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Finance Director Steve Stark. “When it gets to the point of being reimbursed by FEMA, it will be based on the cost of repairs,” said Stark.