Media Contacts
Media representatives may send inquiries or interview requests to media@calquake.com or call (279) 203-5998. CEA can accommodate requests in English and Spanish.
Reporters looking for information about the Earthquake Brace + Bolt Program, established by a joint powers authority created by CEA and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, can find additional media support here.
Background Information
The following resources are intended to provide information helpful to reporters covering the California Earthquake Authority, earthquakes in California and residential earthquake insurance.
Public Affairs and Testimony
Fast Facts
Browse these fast facts or our FAQs for details about CEA and earthquake preparedness that can be included in a news story.
- CEA has more than policies in force, and CEA policies are two-thirds of the residential earthquake insurance policies sold in California.
- CEA is not-for-profit, privately funded and publicly managed.
- California created CEA in 1996 to address a home-insurance market crisis.
- CEA sells policies through participating insurance companies.
- CEA now offers lower rates, more policy options and bigger discounts for earthquake insurance.
- CEA rates are based on science, not profits.
- Most Californians live within 30 miles of an active fault.
- Thousands of known faults crisscross California, and more than 500 are considered active and dangerous.
- Scientists say there’s more than a 99 percent chance of a magnitude-6.7 quake striking California in the next 30 years.*
*According to the third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3) report.
- CEA has more than in claim-paying ability.
- CEA could cover all its claims if the 1906 San Francisco, 1989 Loma Prieta or 1994 Northridge earthquake reoccurred today.
- CEA's financial strength has been rated as B++ (Good) since 2023 by A.M. Best Co., the world's oldest and most authoritative rating agency of insurance companies.
- Older houses, particularly those built before 1980, may be more vulnerable to earthquake damage.
- One way to make a house more resistant to earthquake damage is through a brace-and-bolt retrofit.
- CEA offers policy premium discounts to policyholders who retrofit their homes. There are also financial incentives to help pay for a seismic retrofit.