Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed an executive order that will provide help for residents of Imperial County whose homes or businesses were damaged by Sunday's 7.2 earthquake or the multitude of aftershocks.
Schwarzenegger on Thursday toured downtown Calexico, where the historic business district remains closed as engineers assess the damage and whether the stores are safe to reopen.
The goal, Schwarzenegger said, is to help residents "get back to
their normal lives as quickly as possible." The state is also providing relief supplies to the government of Mexico, where thousands of homes were damaged in the sprawling city of Mexicali and in farming villages of the Mexicali Valley.
— Tony Perry in San Diego
Photo: Several businesses in Calexico were damaged in the April 4 quake. Credit: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times