EARTHQUAKE: THE LONG ROAD BACK : Voices

“This is not the last resort. This is the only resort.”

--Katriena McCord of Chatsworth, among the first in a line of 1,000 at the Winnetka Recreation Center, which housed one of 11 federal disaster relief centers.

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“I knew this was going to be a concert-type thing--if you want good seats, you’ve got to be there early.”

--Denise Barton, at the Santa Monica Disaster Relief Center.

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“We’re trying to help you, but there is no such thing as instantaneous.”

--HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros to a Van Nuys resident whose apartment house collapsed.

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“A lot of these people will have to be taken by their hand back to the building and told they are safe. It’s going to take a lot of persuasion.”

--Karl Deppe, assistant chief of resource management with the Los Angeles Department of building and safety.

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“It’s gone up every single night. If it rains, we will have to open more shelters.”

--Red Cross spokeswoman Barbara Wilks, reporting that more than 6,000 people were in 29 Red Cross shelters Wednesday night, up from 3,600 Monday and 4,700 Tuesday night.

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“It’s a shame. All the attention has been paid to the Valley and nobody seems to realize there are a lot of problems here in South Los Angeles too.”

--Bertelle Berry, a county probation officer who was in line at a Crenshaw District federal relief center.