Preparing your home from earthquake now is very important. There are certain ways to know if your home is in need of seismic retrofit. One way is to ask yourself 5 questions that are listed below, if your answer is yes to any of the questions, then you should consider retrofitting your home.
1-Was it built prior to 1985? Homes built prior to 1985 are typically more vulnerable to earthquake damages.
2-Is it built on a raised foundation? Homes that are not built on concrete slab. they typically have crawl space.
3-Is it built on a hillside ? Built on hillside have usually raised foundation meaning posts and cripple walls are built at different heights.
4- Is it in an area prone to earthquakes? You can find that out by calling your local building department.
5- Do I have a garage? The narrow walls on either side of the walls on either side of the garage door must be carefully designed to resist earthquake forces, if there is a living space above it. Because these rooms add weight that garage must support.