‘An earthquake can bring down’: More than 1 million California homes need fixtures | National

Jackie and Shane McIntosh were looking to sell their two-bedroom, single-family home in Rio Del, California, so they could get closer to the business. When a potential buyer scheduled a visit to their property this week, the couple hoped it would lead to an offer.

But hours before Jupiter was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Humboldt County, waking the couple in the middle of the night and sending them crashing to the ground. Jackie McIntosh, 28, remembers holding on to one of the legs of the bed during her ejaculation.

She said that they did not realize the extent of the damage until after they moved out of the house.

“Our balcony was higher than our house,” she said. “When we came down, our gas line was right next to the door, and we were exposed to natural gas and propane. On the other hand, water was pouring everywhere because the water supply had broken.”

After their street is cleared due to a gas leak, the Mackintoshes return home to try to find their cats and other pets and realize the house has been red-flagged.

The couple, who works for a company that makes recreational and military floats, has applied for a grant to rehabilitate their decades-old home from the earthquake under the state’s Earthquake Brace and Bolt program. They received an email on Sunday, two days before the earthquake, telling them that they had heard in February whether they had been selected for the scholarship.

“It was always in the back of my mind,” Macintosh said. “It’s very expensive and we couldn’t do it financially. We set a course for (the new homeowner) to have the house retrofitted by the state but it’s too late.”

McIntosh said they also submitted a claim with their insurance company but were told to withdraw it because they had no earthquake insurance due to the cost.

“We have a huge floral ornament that we are now responsible for,” said Mackintosh. “Unless some kind of government assistance is provided, it is now entirely up to us to fix the house. It is a real possibility that we may have to move away, spoil our credit, go bankrupt and start over.”

Unfortunately, McIntoshes experience is not uncommon. In a state known for earthquakes, many homes lack retrofits and insurance.

Today, fewer than 1 in 7 California homeowners have earthquake insurance, according to the California Earthquake Authority, and more than 1 million homes in the state need structural retrofits.

In Northern California, such a retrofit can cost upwards of $5,000, said Janelle Maffei, structural engineer and chief mitigation officer for the California Earthquake Authority.

Humboldt County faces specific structural challenges with its homes, Maffei said, because the area is so humid. Many homes there have “pillar and pier” foundations, meaning they don’t have a continuous concrete foundation around the perimeter of the house. Instead, the houses are supported by columns on concrete with a skirt around them, in order to give the accommodation access to air. Laying a whole new perimeter foundation can cost between $10,000 and $15,000.

Under the Earthquake Brace and Bolt Program, homeowners can apply for a grant of up to $3,000 for a seismic retrofit. There is also additional financing for low-income homeowners of up to $72,080 per family.

In the case of the Mackintosh family home, the earthquake knocked the house off its foundations and made it unstable. Retrofitting may involve either anchoring the house’s frame to its foundation or adding buttresses to the walls in the space below the first floor.

Enrollment in the retrofit program closed on November 29, and about 169 Humboldt County families have applied. Maffei said random selection for the program is expected to take place in the next few months. She encouraged those on the waiting list not to give up hope, because about 50% of people in the program end up dropping out.

Restoring a house whose foundation has fallen off, Maffei said, involves laying down steel beams, picking up the house and moving it to where it’s supposed to be, and building a new foundation underneath. The operation can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“My heart goes out to these displaced families,” she said. “An earthquake can happen in the worst week of a person’s life. It’s not just healthy, young people who are financially prepared to survive. It affects real life and can be catastrophic.”

Californians can also prepare their homes for earthquakes by installing the contents of their homes, including televisions, bookshelves, microwave ovens, safes, and other appliances. Beds should be kept away from windows due to the risk of shattering glass. Heavy objects and tires near the bed should also be removed.

Ensuring that your gas heater is secured to the wall and installing an automatic valve that shuts off the gas during an earthquake can reduce the chances of a subsequent leak or fire.

Chimneys also pose a great danger during earthquakes and can be removed or modified to ensure safety.

McIntosh and her husband live in a company apartment that her company has offered them. The days immediately after the earthquake involved picking up bits of their lives, including locating and securing a place to stay for their pet pig, Elvis Bigsley, who was staying in their backyard.

McIntosh’s sister created a GoFundMe page for the couple, who are waiting to see if FEMA will be able to provide any disaster relief or other financial assistance.

She said: “People live from paycheck to paycheck.” “They can’t afford earthquake insurance. We’re not the only ones sitting there saying ‘How am I going to fix this?'” “That’s the scary part.”

© 2022 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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