California residents can receive $3,000 retrofit grants

California homeowners can again apply for grants of up to $3,000 to retrofit older single-family homes at risk of slipping off their foundation in an earthquake.

Residents living in more than 500 ZIP codes can apply for the program at EarthquakeBraceBolt.com. Registration continues until November 29. Without repair, homeowners who sustain heavy damage during an earthquake can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of living outside their homes while making repairs—all while paying off their mortgage.

Homeowners in many California earthquakes, from the 1971 Sylmar earthquake to the 2014 Napa earthquake, have suffered such damage.

Grant costs are paid for by an allocation of $80 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Homes at risk are usually built before 1980, and especially before 1940, and have a few degrees above the ground.

Old California homes can slide or collapse from their foundations in an earthquake. Structural engineer Janiele Maffei advises on precautions to be taken to retrofit such homes.

There is a problem when the house is connected to the foundation by a short, flimsy wall – known as a “disabled wall” – which creates a crawl space. This wall and the rafters that keep the house off the ground are often not firmly fixed to the foundation.

So in the event of an earthquake, the lack of grip between the house and the foundation can push the house — as if the vibration had broken the building’s knees. There are an estimated 1.2 million homes in California with this defect.

“It’s like you’re pulling a rug out from under the house,” said Janelle Maffei, structural engineer and CEO of Earthquake Brace + Bolt. The program, part of California’s Housing Mitigation Program, has helped pay for retrofits of 17,600 homes since 2014.

“With that $80 million, we will more than double the number of homes” that will receive the money for this retrofit, Maffei said.

Compared to the cost of post-earthquake repairs, retrofitting is relatively cheap for these types of homes – basically prepping the house and setting it up as a foundation.

The $3,000 grant is expected to go a long way toward paying for retrofit costs. In Southern California, the cost was between $3,000 and $5,000. The average cost in Northern California is higher.

Maffei said the construction work takes two or three days to complete.

Additional grants are available for low-income homeowners with a household income of less than $72,000 that would enable the recipient to cover the full cost of the retrofit.

Keeping the house on its foundation — and properly equipping the water heater — fixes the two major flaws that can cause a single-family home to catch fire when shaken in an earthquake, Maffei said.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos