Central Coast counties qualify for statewide earthquake retrofitting grant

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP) announced Wednesday that a state-run program for certain zip codes in California may be eligible for grants to retrofit their homes against earthquakes.

The CRMP offers two seismic retrofit grant programs, one of which Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties are qualified to apply, based on zip code. This program is called the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB). 

According to the program coordinators, the Central Coast region qualifies due to the number of older homes in the area.

Applications of up to $3,000 for homeowner protection against earthquake damage is currently open through March 26.

The CRMP says that over $20 million in grant funding is available for seismic retrofits that bolt older houses to their foundations and brace the crawl space walls less vulnerable to earthquake damage.

The CRMP is a Joint Powers Authority between the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).