Grant Funding Available For Humboldt County Homeowners To Safeguard Their Homes Against Earthquake Damage

Sacramento, CA – Starting today, eligible Humboldt County homeowners in areas impacted by the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Ferndale in late December and the 5.4 magnitude quake that struck near Rio Dell in January can apply for grants of up to $3,000 to safeguard their homes. Funding is available thanks to Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB), a program administered by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP), a joint powers agreement between the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).

Nearly $2 million is available to help homeowners in eligible ZIP Codes offset the cost of seismic retrofits. While these funds cannot be used to pay for repairs to damaged homes, they can be used to protect eligible homes 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 closes July 31, 2023.

“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 Humboldt County homeowners may also qualify for supplemental grants. These 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.

“During a January trip to Humboldt County to recruit additional contractors for the EBB program, we were able to survey the area and see the earthquake damage first-hand,” said CEA Chief Mitigation Officer Janiele Maffei. “This is why we’re taking this action today—we know the EBB program can help Californians protect their families, their homes and their investments, and we encourage eligible homeowners in approved Humboldt County ZIP Codes to apply for this available funding.”

Humboldt County homeowners can apply for retrofit funding at EarthquakeBraceBolt.com, where they can see 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 selected 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.