Homeowners in Aptos and Watsonville have until March 19 to apply for grants of $3,000 toward retrofit funding through California’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt program.
With $13.2 million in funding, the program will offer 4,400 retrofit grants in 2020. To date, almost 10,000 Californians have retrofit their homes through the program.
Today, more than 1.2 million homes in California are in high-seismic-hazard areas and are vulnerable, according to the California Residential Mitigation Program. Many homeowners know their homes are at-risk when an earthquake occurs but are unaware they can protect their homes.
“By undergoing a seismic retrofit, older houses that were not built to withstand an earthquake are braced and bolted into their foundation,” said Janiele Maffei, Chief Mitigation Officer for the California Earthquake Authority. “This helps to prevent the home from sliding off its foundation in the event of an earthquake and reduces the amount of damage a house can incur.”
To apply, visit EarthquakeBraceBolt.com. A searchable directory with more than 1,000 licensed, FEMA-trained contractors is available. Once registration closes, participating homeowners will be selected through a random drawing and notified via email if they have been selected or if they are on the wait list.