FEMA announces $2 million grant to Utah to ‘retrofit homes against earthquake’
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a federal grant for the State of Utah that will make $1,916,396 available to Salt Lake City to help retrofit 100 homes in a community built along the Wasatch Fault.
The money will go toward roof-to-wall connections and chimney bracing as part of Utah’s Fix The Bricks program, and will enhance life safety for residents during an earthquake.
Entire neighborhoods on Ecuador’s Pacific coast were flattened by the 7.8 earthquake. Photo courtesy of IOM
The approximately $1.9 million dollar grant represents a federal cost-share of the total project cost of $2,555,194. The remainder will come from non-federal sources.
The funding is provided through FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program, which is designed to assist states, U.S. territories, federally-recognized tribes, and local communities in implementing a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program. The goal is to reduce overall risk to the population and structures from future hazard events, while also reducing reliance on federal funding in future disasters.
