Earthquake Brace + Bolt Grant Funding Now Available for Humboldt County Homeowners

Press release from the County of Humboldt:

Eligible Humboldt County homeowners in areas impacted by the Dec. 20, 2022 earthquake can now apply for grants of up to $3,000 to safeguard their homes against future earthquake damage.

Funding is available through Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB), a program administered by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP) which is a joint powers agreement between the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).

These funds cannot be used to pay for repairs to damaged homes but can be used to protect eligible residences from experiencing the same kind of damage from future earthquakes. An EBB retrofit includes bracing the cripple walls of older houses, when present, and bolting houses to their foundation, making them less vulnerable to earthquake damage.

The registration period for this program closes on Monday, July 31.

“Older homes are particularly vulnerable to earthquake damage, so it’s important that homeowners in high seismic-hazard areas take proactive steps to reduce the risk of their home slipping off its foundation,” said Glenn Pomeroy, CEO of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA). “We recognize the enormous impact the recent earthquakes had on the local community, and it is our goal to strengthen as many homes as possible before the next big one strikes.”

Income-eligible homeowners may also qualify for supplemental grants. These grants are available for households with an income at or below $72,080 and may be able to provide up to 100% of the funds needed to cover a seismic retrofit.

Humboldt County homeowners can apply for retrofit funding at EarthquakeBraceBolt.com. At this website, homeowners can check if their house is in an EBB eligible ZIP Code, review detailed program information and begin searching for a FEMA-trained, California-licensed general contractor.

Once registration closes, participating homeowners will be selected through a random drawing and notified via email if they have been chosen or if they have been placed on the waitlist.

According to CEA, more than 1.2 million houses in high-hazard ZIP Codes are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because of the way they were constructed. These homes are typically built before 1980, are wood framed with a raised foundation and may have a cripple wall in the crawl space under the house.

To date, EBB grants have helped nearly 20,000 homeowners retrofit their houses.

 About Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB)

Established by the California Residential Mitigation Program, EBB offers grants to help California homeowners retrofit their houses to reduce potential damage from earthquakes. For more information, please visit EarthquakeBraceBolt.com.

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.

To learn more about available resources regarding earthquake recovery, visit humboldtgov.org/earthquake.