Helping Mills College Students and Staff be Prepared for an Earthquake

April 12, 2018

CEA Chief Mitigation Officer Janiele Maffei, doing a hands-on demonstration, Thursday Apr. 12, 2018, in Oakland California. Maffei showed students and college staff how a home can be retrofitted to decrease the risk of damage during an earthquake.

On April 12, over 20 local agencies and private companies–-among them the California Earthquake Authority—participated during the “2nd Annual CPR Lunch & Learn and Preparedness Symposium” held by Mills College in Oakland.

The event offered a variety of booths and demonstrations that ranged from how to develop essential skills for immediate responders, to hands-on CPR training, and experiencing a magnitude 8 earthquake.

Dozens of attendees visited CEA’s booth, where they had the opportunity to see for themselves how a house can be retrofitted to make it more resistant to earthquake damage. CEA’s Chief Mitigation Officer, Janiele Maffei, emphasized that the East Bay is an earthquake-prone area, and many houses that were built before 1979 aren’t bolted to their foundations. Therefore, retrofitting their homes with a brace and bolt retrofit can be one of the best decisions a homeowner can make. Those interested can register to qualify for a grant of up to $3,000 to retrofit a home through the Earthquake Brace + Bolt Program.

Students and college staff also learned about the benefits of acquiring earthquake insurance and even obtained a free premium estimate using CEA’s Premium Calculator, with CEA staff explaining the different policy options for homeowners, mobilehome owners, condo-unit owners and renters.