Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency on Tuesday for the central California county hardest hit by the state's strongest earthquake in four years, freeing up disaster aid for reconstruction.
Schwarzenegger signed the emergency proclamation after meeting with local officials in Paso Robles, which suffered the greatest damage in the quake, and touring the town center where a landmark two-story clock tower and building collapsed, crushing two women who were standing outside.
Small aftershocks rippled through the area on Tuesday morning. The largest of those -- a magnitude 4.6 quake -- came almost a full day after the major quake struck at 11:16am.
In addition to the two deaths, Monday's magnitude 6.5 earthquake injured more than 40 people, cut electricity to thousands and shook houses and skyscrapers from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
A total of 82 commercial buildings in Paso Robles were declared unsafe by building inspectors on Tuesday, and inspection teams were going building-to-building in a light rain to more closely examine damage.
The state emergency declaration provides funds for San Luis Obispo County to pay emergency workers, clear debris and repair damage to roads and power and sewage lines.
Paso Robles Mayor Frank Mecham said the town would also seek federal disaster assistance, adding that officials may not know the full scope and cost of the damage for several days.
Called the San Simeon earthquake after the coastal town nearest its epicenter, the temblor hit hardest in this town known for its sulfur springs and mud baths.
By midday Tuesday, power had been restored to all but 700 customers of utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co after an outage that had left up to 75,000 houses and businesses in the dark at its peak.
The quake also shook the historic Hearst Castle, a major California tourist attraction, but caused no damage to the structure, a lavish mansion built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.
Dressed in a windbreaker and jeans, Schwarzenegger thanked emergency workers and pledged to rebuild the shattered business district. He warned that the disaster was a lesson to other building owners who have not retrofitted their properties.
"The greatest tragedy is that time will not undo the loss of life," Schwarzenegger told a crowd of emergency workers and citizens who turned out for a glimpse of the action star-turned-governor. "I want to give my heartfelt thanks to all the rescue workers. We have already begun the task of recovering and rebuilding."
Looking at the crumpled building where the two women died, he evoked cheers by pledging "this will be your Main Street once again."
The temblor marks the second disaster Schwarzenegger has had to respond to since he was elected in October this year. As governor-elect he toured wildfire-devastated neighborhoods in southern California with outgoing governor Gray Davis.
"A very important part of being governor is being in touch with communities, especially after a disaster," Schwarzenegger said. "I want to be the governor of the people."
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, had pledged not to raise taxes to plug the state's budget deficit unless a natural disaster occurred.
During his brief statement, Schwarzenegger urged Californians to "go and enjoy the holidays" despite the earthquake and the elevated terror risk announced earlier in the week by the Bush administration.
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