From Deseret News archives:
Wells struggles in the aftermath of quake
"Oh, I hate it when that happens," said Wells City Clerk Sue Smith as she walked through the building. An hour later another one, stronger than the last, rattled the building again. And yet another an hour later.
Friday was being called by first responders as a day for the city's 1,800 residents to recover and assess the damages following Thursday's 6.0 magnitude earthquake here.
Rod Mothershed and Don Ray were parked at the Wells Elementary School with 10,000 gallons of potable water they brought from Elko after federal officials called them with news that 3,000 gallons per minute was leaking from several breaks in main drinking water lines.
But federal Division of Emergency Management spokesman Kim Toulouse said drinking water supplies to residents had been restored and that only four businesses Friday morning on the west side of town remained under a boil order.
Toulouse said two teams of inspectors would be going around town Friday to determine if Wells qualifies for federal emergency relief funds. Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons Thursday gave Wells a state disaster area designation, which Toulouse said should help speed up the process of getting to a potential federal designation.
"We're doing a real quick assessment," he told reporters. A preliminary damage assessment was expected by Friday afternoon.
It cold take up to 48 hours to get the needed damage information to the state's governor, who then forwards a report that eventually could reach President George Bush for his approval to release federal monies. Toulouse said there may be public and individual federal assistance available, along with federal grants of up to $28,000 to help people recover and repair.
As for personal property losses inside homes, which was widespread in Wells, people are on their own.
California-based AAA Insurance catastrophe supervisor Neal Bonrud set up a desk Friday inside Wells Elementary School to help a few AAA clients in Wells and to answer questions of others. Most people in general, he said, don't have extra earthquake insurance, which without it homeowners would be on their own to cover repairs to any structural damages.
