Have you ever wondered if there is more you can do when contemplating how to keep your family safe during an earthquake? If you have yet to take advantage of the Earthquake Brace Bolt and research seismic retrofitting, then there is still more you can do for your family’s safety.
If you are like most California residents, you have your earthquake emergency preparedness kit on hand. But you have likely also neglected one of the most significant earthquake safety precautions – structural safety.
How to Keep Your Family Safe During an Earthquake.
Consider this:
- The median-priced California coastal family home costs $743,000.
- It takes the average family six and a half years to save for a deposit on a house.
- There is an average of nineteen earthquakes in California every day.
Just one of those quakes can annihilate everything. Now is the time to get serious about earthquake preparedness.
Assess Your Risk.
Begin your earthquake preparedness by assessing your risk.
- Where is your nearest fault line?
- Do you live on sturdy ground or ground likely to give way during a quake?
- Is there a chance of tsunami waves taking your home?
- How well constructed is your home?
- Do you have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance?
- Do you need to adjust your insurance coverage limits?
- Are you keeping up with insurance payments?
The online tool Earthquake Track can help you to gather information about geographical seismic hazards around your home.
Another question to ask yourself is when your house was constructed.
Do You Need to Seismic Retrofit Your House?
If your risk assessment has set off warning lights, and if your home was built before 1969, it is time to think seriously about retrofitting and reinforcing.
A seismic retrofit helps avoid the foundation repair Los Angeles residents cannot afford post-earthquake by installing foundation reinforcements.
Did you know that –
- When builders constructed homes in the ’30s, building regulations did not require them to bolt houses to their foundations…
And
- When builders constructed homes before 1969, they frequently braced the walls with weak bracing materials like wood siding and stucco!
Fortunately, the Earthquake brace Bolt state grant makes it possible for owners of these older homes to get the earthquake reinforcement they need.
Seismic retrofitting ensures that the oldest homes are firmly attached to their foundations and that homes built in later years can have their foundation attachments reinforced to reduce the risk of earthquake damage and complete home destruction.
Seismic retrofitting may sound like it will take a hefty chunk out of your savings account, but the Earthquake Brace Bolt (or EBB) state grant helps homeowners like you with up to $3,000 towards your residential seismic retrofit project.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your family safe during an earthquake is about more than having an emergency preparedness kit. It is also about protecting your home and future.
Fortunately, companies like ours at Seismic Safety offer seismic retrofitting services that make protecting your home and future easy, so all you have to worry about is keeping that emergency preparedness kit well-stocked!
For more information, please give our team a call at (626) 791-2300.