Whittier Quake Toll: $70 Million

ROSEMEAD — Damages in Whittier from this month’s devastating earthquake exceed $70 million, seven times greater than federal estimates, the city manager told a legislative hearing today.

“The extent of the devastation in our community has not been fully told,” Whittier City Manager Tom Mauk told three Assembly committees looking into services provided for victims of the Oct. 1 earthquake. Mauk told committee members assembled in the Rosemead City Hall that federal damage estimates of $10.1 million in Whittier were too low, saying he estimated damage in the city at more than $70 million. The Federal Emergency Management Agency came up with the preliminary damage estimate on Oct. 13.