The Antelope Valley Times

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Palmdale, Lancaster homeowners now eligible for $3,000 earthquake retrofit grants

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2014 South Napa earthquake road damage. [Image via Thomas Holzer, USGS. Public domain.]]
There are more than one million houses in high-hazard areas of California that are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because of the way they were constructed, according to California’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) program.

The EBB grant program has expanded to include 395 ZIP Codes, including Palmdale and Lancaster, where qualifying homeowners can get up to $3,000 to offset the cost of completing a seismic retrofit. They’re also offering income-eligible homeowners a chance to qualify for newly available supplemental grants. Income-eligible homeowners with an annual household income at or below $72,080 may qualify for these new supplemental grants, which may pay for up to 100% of the retrofit cost. The amount will depend on the region and the type of retrofit completed.

“Bolting houses to their foundations and bracing the crawl space walls can help Californians protect their families, their homes and their investments,” said Janiele Maffei, chief mitigation officer of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and executive director of EBB. “We’re pleased to extend additional support to income-eligible homeowners to help cover up to 100% of the cost of a seismic retrofit, and we encourage all eligible homeowners in EBB ZIP Codes to apply for funding now.” View the list of eligible ZIP codes here.

With $5 million in available funding, EBB will offer approximately 1,700 retrofit grants in 2021. The program is available in ZIP Codes that rank high in terms of seismic risk and concentration of older homes. Since the EBB program was established in 2013, EBB grants have helped more than 15,700 homeowners retrofit their houses.

Homeowners have until Dec. 1 to apply for grant funding. To learn more, visit: https://www.earthquakebracebolt.com/

[Information via news release from Earthquake Brace + Bolt.]

4 comments for "Palmdale, Lancaster homeowners now eligible for $3,000 earthquake retrofit grants"

  1. My 93551 zip code does not qualify for this year. Message I received below:

    The ZIP Code you entered is not in this year’s EBB Program. Each year we add new ZIP Codes to the Program. If you would like to be notified when the next EBB Program opens to check your ZIP Code again, please sign up for EBB email updates.

  2. In Palmdale this is only available in zip code 93550. Looks like most of Lancaster is eligible though. 100% funding for a seismic refit is worth checking out if you have an older home.

    • Percentage of Californians who make less then $72,000 and own a home… This is a feel good article for politicians in California.

      • Don’t let this whiner throw you off. The $72,000 income requirement is for the SUPPLEMENTAL grants, not the basic grant.