the san fernando valley six a m that way nine almost another day most of last asleep the late shift is about to call tonight the early risers already on the freeways heading for work captain bill hall of the los angeles fire department author mickelson and milton gone two definitions in a pickup truck heading out just before dawn to install a microwave relay station in the mountains six o'clock another day just before dawn a massive shock rippling out of the mountains just north of the san fernando valley getting here missing there but shaking most of southern california like an angry parent takes  next door the city's nerve center for all disaster operations the emergency control center is swinging into no one knows if yet but the clients by the blaze hardest lines at the northern end of the ballot in a suburb called sylmar and the little city of san fernando the shocks magnified enormously here outside the building looks unharmed inside no one knows how extensive the damage is but quickly volunteer rescue teams are being organized moving up the search the r civil defense training center are starting down the mountain downtown police are cordoning off the danger points freeways to the north are in a state of collapse this is where captain howell barely escaped with his life and the two men in the pickup truck fires everywhere three are dead the rest of the patients being hastily evacuat doctors and nurses are pulling victims out of the ruins digging their hand at the rubble trying to free the rest at seven twenty four people on some accomplice that's down on the line and the staff doctor runs out to meet him the fire and rescue units for it but desperately needed it heavy construction equipment to cut through the concrete roof luckily it's close at hand in thai hunger can get the army corps of engineers has a construction crew working on a special project for the office of emergency preparedness within an hour it's been moved to veterans the thing now to get firemen police other trained professional or little san fernando civil defense is something else a handful of city employees and a disaster plan depending largely on volunteer help from groups like red cross salvation army the citizens emergency mobile patrol and now the radio and they found the dead spot on their dial i'm moving in to fill it since early morning san fernando been cut off from the world but now communications are being  the second day early in the morning air force two sweeps into los angeles airport auditorium the damage to the grades ball and said i don't want to be another one i feel better already the president's proclaimed the earthquake zone a major disaster area with all agencies of the federal government directed to render maximum assistance downtown both state and federal people are working hard to deliver it and the new disaster relief act just signed by the president has given them new tools to work with federal assistance is no longer limited to helping restore essential community service now it's been brought in to bring relief to individuals the disaster victims as well and six one stop disaster assistance centers are being set up where they can go to find temporary housing rent free for those in direst need aid on mortgages and rents for others in danger of losing their damaged homes legal services liberalized small business and farmers home loans unemployment insurance reemployment for those whose jobs have been wiped out food stamps and surplus food for the hungry help in removing  the supply food clothing shelter continual average doctor keeping everyone on it and the emergency control center at police headquarters is being overloaded with ca in a way california has been lucky it's been a medium sized quake even minor compared to what could happen someday but if the shock could come a few hours later in the morning when schools were full and freeways crowded the death toll might have reached the thousands instead of sixty five but more than thirty schools in los angeles alone will have to be demolished and replaced the freeways rebuilt a billion dollars worth of damage repair on a federal government it means a record breaking expenditure under the new disaster relief act nearly half a billion to restore essential services and help people get back on their feet and a long way to go before it's done at veterans hospital rescue workers are into there fifty nine hour going home but often the things like this and ten members of the staff last the better in hospital