$2 million in grants available to Humboldt homeowners impacted by earthquakes

EUREKA, Calif. — On Monday, the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) opened registration for a $2 million retrofit program that will provide seismic retrofitting services to Humboldt County homes.

This special registration is an extension of the CEA's Brace and Bolt Program and is intended for pre-1980 homes that lack the foundational security that most modern homes have.

According to the CEA's Chief Mitigation Officer Janiele Maffei, eligible homeowners in areas impacted by the 6.4-magnitude Dec. 20, 2022 earthquake in Ferndale and the 5.4-magnitude earthquake in Rio Dell in January can now apply for grants of up to $3,000 each to safeguard their homes.

Maffei said the program is preventative and aims to mitigate the damage caused to houses by any future earthquakes.

"I think we saw this in the recent earthquakes in 2022 and 2023. Houses that aren't properly anchored to their foundation can slide or topple off their foundation, and that's devastating damage. That's damage that typically puts the houses into that red tag category," Maffei said.

Eligible homeowners can apply for the program online through July 31. Once registration closes, homeowners will be selected through a random drawing and notified via email if they have been selected or placed on the waitlist.