DISASTER FUNDING SOUGHT LOW-COST LOANS POSSIBLE.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Lancaster officials will seek a declaration of a state emergency from Gov. Gray Davis for the July 29 storm that officials believe caused at least $1 million in property damage.

In a special meeting Wednesday, the City Council voted 5-0 to ratify a declaration of a local emergency and to seek a similar declaration by the state to put the city in position to receive state and federal disaster aid. It is the first such request by the city since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.

Aid under such a declaration of a state of emergency could include grants and no- or low-interest loans to repair the damage.

Labeling the tornado-like storm an ``extreme wind event,'' Lancaster officials said at least 10 homes will require ``considerable structural repairs,'' almost a quarter-mile of sidewalk will need to be replaced, and approximately 300 trees were uprooted and another 400 trees were damaged.

``This is the first thing like this that has happened in my lifetime, and I've been here 65 years,'' said Mayor Frank Roberts.

Early tallies estimate the city's loss at $375,000 to $450,000 for labor and materials for the cleanup. An estimate for damage to private property reported to the city is $250,000 to $325,000.

Those tallies could rise as the city proceeds with repairs. City officials also noted that much of the damage to private property has not been reported to them.

``We are ball-parking the loss at about $1 million,'' said Assistant City Manager Dennis Davenport.

City officials expressed their gratitude to its public works and parks crews, Southern California Edison and other agencies, including the city of Palmdale and the county of Los Angeles, that provided assistance with the cleanup. More than 200 people helped.

``It's nice that a community our size can come together,'' said Councilman Jim Jeffra. ``All the crews that came together did a terrific job.''

City repair work will take another three to four weeks.

Spawned from a moist, unstable air mass that was heated by the desert sun, the storm spared most of the valley but hit Lake Los Angeles with penny-size hail and pounded Lancaster. Palmdale and Rosamond had light rain but little wind.

With winds estimated at up to 65 mph, trees were uprooted or snapped throughout Lancaster, some toppling onto parked cars and others falling onto roofs. Winds knocked down fences, a billboard and even a brick wall. No serious injuries were reported.

The electrical system damage included 18 poles snapped or seriously damaged along Avenue I near 60th Street West, where a Lancaster man who had been driving on Avenue I said he saw a funnel cloud snap the poles one after the other.

At Antelope Valley College, the gymnasium was damaged by rainwater that poured down the west wall, damaging the floor. Water that leaked into a fire alarm panel was blamed for a fire that broke out around noon Wednesday but was confined to a utility closet.

At El Rancho mobile home park in east Lancaster, the storm knocked over trees, damaged awnings and sheds and tore evaporative coolers off rooftops.

Jim Skeen, [phone]

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com