California Residential Mitigation Program Announces New Program to Help Homeowners Be Earthquake Prepared
Sacramento, CA – California homeowners in select Bay Area and Southern California cities will soon have another tool at their disposal to help safeguard their homes against the threat of earthquakes. This spring, eligible homeowners in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Los Angeles and Pasadena will be able to apply for grants out of an available pool of $5 million in FEMA funding to retrofit their soft-story homes. But first, the program needs qualified contractors to help with the anticipated demand.
Soft-story homes have one or more floors of living space built above a garage. These structures are vulnerable to damage because they may not be able to withstand the lateral movement from earthquake shaking. Houses with this condition may be prone to partial or full collapse during an earthquake. However, before the application process opens, the Earthquake Soft Story (ESS) program seeks contractors qualified to do this important work.
“Hundreds of thousands of Californians are living in a soft-story structure that is a prime candidate for a retrofit,” said Glenn Pomeroy, CEO OF CEA. “As recent earthquakes in both California and the other side of the world remind us, older homes built before building codes were strengthened are much more likely to be badly damaged in an earthquake. But action taken now can prevent catastrophic loss that could result from the next damaging earthquake”.
CRMP anticipates initially awarding a total of 375 grants up to $13,000 each depending on the type of house and the appropriate retrofit. Making a soft-story home more resistant to earthquake damage can be as straightforward as having a licensed contractor install new plywood sheathing or steel reinforcements on each side of the garage door and bracing the perimeter walls of the garage.
CRMP offers free FEMA training, free marketing materials and free listings to general contractors with a valid California license (Type A or B). After providing funding for almost 20,000 Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) retrofits for the last eight years, we are taking that knowledge and experience to offer grants for a different type of retrofit.
“The growth and success of our Earthquake Brace + Bolt program has allowed us to take the next step to help more Californians strengthen their homes against the threat of an earthquake,” said Janiele Maffei, Chief Mitigation Officer for CEA. “And just as with the EBB program, ESS contractors will have access to free FEMA-training, free marketing materials and free listings. Contractor participation is going to be critical in ensuring the work gets done.”
Licensed contractors interested in participating are encouraged to visit here where they can find all the resources they need to get started in the program. This pilot program is organized and run by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP).
About the Earthquake Soft Story (ESS) Program
Established by the California Residential Mitigation Program, ESS offers grants to eligible California homeowners to help defray their retrofit costs to reduce potential damage from earthquakes. A residential seismic retrofit makes a house more resistant to earthquake activity. For more information, including resources and information on how to apply, please click here.
About the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP)
CRMP was established in 2011 to help Californians strengthen their homes against damage from earthquakes. CRMP is a joint powers authority created by the California Earthquake Authority and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. For more information, please visit https://www.californiaresidentialmitigationprogram.com/About-CRMP.
About Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB)
Established by the California Residential Mitigation Program, EBB offers up to $3,000 to help California homeowners retrofit their house to reduce potential damage from earthquakes. Residential seismic retrofits bolt the house to its foundation and add bracing, if required, around the perimeter of the crawl space, making it more resistant to earthquake activity. For more information, please visit https://www.EarthquakeBraceBolt.com.