California homeowners can get $3,000 to retrofit their home. What to know:
A porch got knocked off its foundation in Ferndale, Calif. following a quake. Photo: Jonathan Rivas/ AIO Fimlz
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - This week’s 4.3 magnitude earthquake in the Bay Area may have jolted residents into considering what steps they can take to reduce the risk of earthquake damage and injuries.
What we know:
Experts say one major action California residents can take is to retrofit their home, and to that end, a special grant program is offering up to $3,000, and as much as $7,000 for low-income residents, for certain retrofits.
But time is running out to register.
Under the California Residential Mitigation Program's Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) program, grants will go toward retrofitting wood-framed, pre-1980-built homes, specifically helping to cover the cost of bolting houses to their foundations and bracing crawl space wall, critical to keeping homes standing in the event of a major quake.
"This helps prevent the house from sliding or toppling off of its foundation during an earthquake," the California Residential Mitigation Program explained on its website.
The program is offering up to $3,000 to complete the seismic retrofit, with households earning $89,040 or less a year, eligible to receive up to $7,000 in supplemental grants.
Deadline approaching
The application period, which began on Aug. 20 is set to close next week, Wednesday, Oct.1.
The California Department of Insurance has been working in partnership with the non-profit California Earthquake Authority (CEA) to promote the Earthquake Brace + Bolt Program.
"These seismic retrofit upgrades help to reduce earthquake damage and provide more resilient housing in high-risk areas," the CEA said.
The backstory:
The EBB program, which launched in 2013, has provided more than 32,500 California homeowners with retrofit assistance, according to the state department of insurance.
"These upgrades help secure wood-framed houses built before 1980 with raised foundations, making them more resistant to earthquake shaking," insurance officials said.
Expanded eligibility
For the first time in the program’s history, the registration has expanded eligibility to include non-primary residential properties to strengthen wood-framed homes built before 1980 with raised foundations against earthquake damage.
That means landlords and other property owners are eligible to sign up for the retrofit grants.
"Expanding retrofit grants to rental properties means CRMP will provide even greater protection for California’s housing stock and the families who call these properties ‘home,’" CEA Chief Executive Officer Tom Welsh said.
More than $20 million in funding will be available for the grants awarded for this application period.
This week's 4.3 quake
Earlier this week, the Bay Area was jolted by a 4.3 earthquake centered in Berkeley. The quake hit in the predawn hours on Monday, waking people from their sleep and leaving behind minor damage in Berkeley.
Aftershocks followed in the days after the quake.
"Earthquake retrofits create a safer and more resilient California," Welsh said. "Each retrofit brings us one step closer to a better-prepared California."
You can find a list of eligible zip codes and resources to find trained, licensed contractors here.
Click here for information on how to register.
Minor damage from 4.3M East Bay quake
There was some minor damage from a 4.3-magnitude quake centered in Berkeley, California.