Lottery opens for homeowners to retrofit their homes for earthquake safety

The Brief

  • The state of California is opening a lottery for homeowners looking to prepare their homes for the next earthquake.
  • The Earthquake Brace + Bolt program is an annual loterry offering up to $3,000 to help residents retrofit their homes.
  • The University of Berkeley Seismology Lab predicts the Bay Area has a 63% chance of experieninge a magnitude 6.7 earthquake by 2036.

OAKLAND, Calif. Homeowners worried about the next big earthquake might be able to get up to $3,000 to help prepare their homes for the big one.

California’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt program has opened its annual lottery for qualifying residents who need support to retrofit their homes. Accepted applicants will be reimbursed up to $3,000, or $7,000 for low-income households, toward the cost of retrofitting their home to make it earthquake safe.

The program is open to wood-framed homes with crawlspaces that were built before 1980, and subsidizes the cost of three critical upgrades that can reduce earthquake damage:

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