Some Californians Can Get Money for Earthquake Retrofits

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(TNS) – With Tuesday’s 5.1-magnitude temblor a jolting reminder of California’s ever-present earthquake risk, more homeowners in the Bay Area and across California can now apply for state grants of up to $3,000 to retrofit their homes in preparation for the next big quake, thanks to a state program that has recently expanded its reach.

The Earthquake Brace + Bolt Program will now offer grants to residents who live in 521 “high-risk” ZIP codes — an additional 126 ZIP codes compared to last year that include more Bay Area cities. The California Earthquake Authority and the governor’s Office of Emergency Services created the program in 2014 to help reduce property damage from earthquakes.

Registration is open now through Nov. 29.

The ZIP codes are selected using the United States Geological Survey earthquake-hazard map for the state, according to program officials. Additional funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will allow the program to “nearly double the amount of houses retrofitted in California,” said Janiele Maffei, the program’s executive director and chief mitigation officer of the California Earthquake Authority.

In total, more than 17,500 homeowners have received grants since 2014, officials said. With this year’s additional funding, officials aim to provide a minimum of 15,000 grants in more than 500 ZIP codes statewide. The expansion will include parts of Concord, Benicia, San Rafael, Santa Cruz and other cities in Northern and Southern California.

“It’s so exciting to zoom in on a community that we’ve been in for years and to just see how many retrofits that we’ve been able to assist with our grants,” Maffei said. “You really start to see a resilient community all over the neighborhood.”

Vulnerable homes are typically built before 1980, are wood framed, have a crawl space under the house and are not properly braced to its foundation. Instead, the home is attached by short stud walls that are not stiff and can cause the house to topple over during an earthquake, said Maffei.

The retrofit consists of “going in and anchoring the house to the foundation with new anchor bolts between the wood and concrete parts of the house,” explained Maffei.

The process takes two to three days to complete and on average costs about $5,200 statewide compared to $6,000-$8,000 in the Bay Area. The difference in the Bay Area is due to the region’s generally higher cost of living, including more expensive labor and materials, said Maffei.

“This is not a surprise to anyone who is familiar with the Bay Area,” she said. “Everything is more expensive in the Bay Area.”

Here’s how to know if you qualify and how to apply:

Do I qualify?

To qualify for the grant, you must:

— Own and live in the single-family home you plan to retrofit.

— Live in one of the ZIP codes included in the program.

You can enter your ZIP code on the program’s website (https://www.earthquakebracebolt.com/) to see if you qualify.

— Have a home that was built before 1980.

— Have a home that has a raised foundation or crawl space under the first floor of your house.

— Have a home that is built on level ground or a slight slope.

— Not have started construction work or received a permit before being accepted into the program.

Maffei said the program is only retrofitting single-family homes at the moment and is working on getting funds to expand to multifamily houses.

Extra funds

The program is also offering additional grants to households making $72,080 or less, which may cover the entire cost of the retrofit. These grants will be given on a first-come, first-served basis (unlike the regular grant), and with few exceptions is not taxable. The amount of money recipients receive will depend on the type of retrofit the house needs (bolt-only or a brace and bolt retrofit) and where they live in California.

Residents in Northern California could receive more money compared to those in Southern California.

Eligible homeowners can apply for the supplemental grant while filling out the regular application and answering “yes” on the income eligibility question. Once you are accepted into the regular program, you will be notified if you can apply for the supplemental grant and will have to fill out income verification forms for every person in the household.

How to apply

Register for the EBB program on their website
by answering a list of questions about your house and where you live. You may also request a paper registration form by calling their customer service line at 877-232-4300 or emailing info@EarthquakeBraceBolt.com.