FEMA TO BUY OUT SLIDE VICTIMS.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

Mudslide victims in West Hills, Studio City and Malibu could be in line to reap part of $20 million the Federal Emergency Management Agency will spend to buy out or relocate California residents hardest hit by El Nino-related landslides, officials said Thursday.

FEMA sent more than 1,000 applications Wednesday to local government offices throughout the state for residents to apply for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds, which stem from President Clinton's major disaster declaration for California in February, said Eliza Chan, a FEMA spokeswoman.

``The goal is to move people permanently out of harm's way,'' Chan said.

To be eligible, landslide victims must be willing to permanently move away from the endangered land, officials said.

This is the first time FEMA has allocated funds for landslide victims.

Alan Jones, a FEMA spokesman in Sacramento, acknowledged that $20 million does not go far considering statewide, El Nino has caused an estimated $550 million worth of damage.

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety is scheduled to meet today with the Mayor's Office and others to discuss the application process for the FEMA funds.

Local government officials must first identify properties as an eminent risk and then submit the application to the Office of Emergency Services, which evaluates and prioritizes projects for FEMA, said Cheryl Tateishi, deputy director for disaster assistance and recovery of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services in Pasadena.

FEMA will pay up to 75 percent of the fair market value of the property, with a maximum payout of $140 per square foot of heated living space, Tateishi said.

To obtain an application, residents can either call the Office of Emergency Management manager's office at [phone] or the form is available at the following Web site: www.oes.ca.gov