Residential earthquake damage can be expensive and inconvenient. However, you can prepare ahead of time to help minimize the financial impacts to your family by strengthening and protecting your house. During September’s National Preparedness Month, CEA joined our partners, the Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA), to educate Californians about how to effectively minimize financial hardship caused by a major seismic event.
It was a lively webinar, with recorded implosions, live demonstrations and lots of questions from the public. Our Chief Mitigation Officer, Janiele Maffei, spoke about earthquake risk, hazard, and vulnerability in the Golden State. She explained that millions of houses in California are vulnerable to earthquake damage, but the process to strengthen a house and help it better withstand damage can, in some instances, be relatively inexpensive. Maffei urged Californians who live in a house that was built before 1980 to consider this option. She also provided information about the financial assistance programs available for people living in qualifying high earthquake risk areas.
During the hour-long webinar our Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Pomeroy, explained that CEA, a not-for-profit insurance company, may give policyholders a discount on their insurance policy if they have strengthened their house. And the savings could be substantial, up to 25 percent of their premium. He explained that CEA has an online calculator so people can easily see their potential savings.
The online session was the fourth in the ECA’s webinar series on the Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety. More than 300 viewers joined the webinar to hear other participants, including the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Insurance Information Institute and Simpson Strong Tie. Each provided essential preparedness tips, such as organizing important documents, considering earthquake insurance, and strengthening a property. As part of a live, hands-on demonstration, Safe-T-Proof went under a house in Southern California, which was being strengthened for earthquake damage.
Overall, each participating presenter wanted to remind us that California is earthquake country. An earthquake can strike at any time. Since most Californians live within 30 miles of an active fault, it is important to get prepared and put your family’s future on solid ground.