When he bought his home in 2012, David Beilfuss knew that it would be the biggest investment his family would make. The 1925 bungalow sits on a quiet street lined with picturesque oak trees in northeastern Pasadena.

Though it is a safe, comfortable neighborhood for his children to grow up in, Beilfuss feared that an unpredictable earthquake could bring the structure to the ground unless he spent the money needed for a seismic retrofit.

Today, there are more than 1.2 million vulnerable homes in California that reside in high-seismic-hazard areas. Many homeowners know that their homes are at risk when an earthquake occurs but are unaware that they can protect their homes with a seismic retrofit.

California’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant program provides homeowners in eligible ZIP codes with $3,000 to help offset the cost of completing a seismic retrofit.

“Like many Californians, we are house rich and cash poor,” Beilfuss said. “Our home could simply fall off its foundation in the event of an earthquake, leaving my family and me homeless. My wife and I knew that even with earthquake insurance we needed to do more to protect our family, our home and our investment.”

Beilfuss retrofitted his home with a grant from the EBB program in 2019.

“By undergoing a seismic retrofit, older houses that were not built to withstand an earthquake are braced and bolted into their foundation,” said Janiele Maffei, chief mitigation officer for the California Earthquake Authority. “This helps to prevent the home from sliding off its foundation in the event of an earthquake and reduces the amount of damage a house can incur.”

With $13.2 million in funding, EBB will offer over 4,400 retrofit grants in 2020. To date, almost 10,000 Californians have streng­thened their homes by successfully completing the retrofitting process with EBB.

Eligible homeowners have until March 19 to apply for retrofit funding through EBB. Once registration closes, participating homeowners will be selected through a random drawing and notified via email if they have been selected or if they are on the wait list.

A full list of eligible ZIP codes – which include portions of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood ­– and a searchable directory with more than 1,000 licensed, FEMA-trained contractors is available. To apply and for detailed program information, visit earthquakebracebolt.com.