Johnson Studies Alaska Reports

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30405, 2 April 1964, Page 13

Johnson Studies Alaska Reports

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

WASHINGTON, April 1.

President Johnson today is receiving reports from 16 national agencies on what aid they can provide for victims of the Alaska earthquake and how much more Congress will have to give.

President Johnson studied aerial photographs of the ravaged areas last night then issued new orders for a speed-up in relief aid.

The President flew to Washington from his Texas ranch last night to see the reports. At the same time he will sign an emergency fund allocation of 700,000 dollars for Crescent City, California, which was hit by seismic sea waves spurred by the tremors. In Alaska, the official casualty figure last night reached 178 dead and presumed dead, as reports continued to come in from outlying areas. Mr Edward McDermott, who is co-ordinating disaster relief work in Washington, estimated damage in Alaska between 350 million and 500 million dollars. It is believed the agencies’ reports contained consideration of possible new legislation to help Alaska's damaged economy. Supply Ship Arrives

for the territory. Consulting engineers from Seattle flew in today to begin work on a 4,000,000-dollar expansion plan for the port of Anchorage. Damage Report Survey teams in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, have made their first report of damage to land and buildings. With the survey only about 50 per cent complete, the figure stood at 89.000,000 dollars. This did not include losses of personal property, fixtures inside commercial and industrial plants, or stocks. The cost of demolishing unstable ruins also has to be estimated. Anchorage had almost normal services yesterday in all but the worst damaged parts of the business and residential areas. Hard-hit suburban areas, such as fashionable Turnagain, were still a jumble of wreckage but elsewhere it was “business as usual.” Telephones were restored in most areas, the water system was in operation, electricity was on and natural gas was flowing again. Officials said the full toll in the 1500-mile disaster zone might never be known since Eskimos and Aleuts in isolated areas seldom communicated with the cities.

A cargo ship, carrying food and supplies yesterday sailed carefully into Anchorage’s damaged port. With airstrips ruined, the Alaska railway network shattered and other ports along the coast wrecked, Anchorage is now the only major centre capable of handling both military and civilian supplies