As we head into the holiday season, thoughts begin to turn to family. While no one likes to think about disasters or the possibility of being at risk, there is an upside. Puget Sound area homeowners today can protect themselves, their families, and their largest investment – their home.

Many homeowners have added “peace of mind” to the benefits of retrofitting, knowing their family and home is safer from earthquake damage.

This Saturday, Nov. 12, Regional Home Retrofit will have a free one-hour clinic at the Southcenter Home Depot at 9:00 a.m. The first half-hour will be an overview of how to strengthen your home structurally. The second half-hour will focus on how to protect your home/house/condo or apartment’s belongings and breakables from damage or from causing injuries. This is the third of five clinics brought to you by partners State Farm, Clear Channel, Home Depot and Seattle Project Impact (see event flyer for more clinics).

The Puget Sound area’s triple-threat from earthquakes has many homeowners concerned. All homeowners have the power of action to lessen their fear. Regional Home Retrofit helps residents protect themselves from a quake.

250,000 of this region’s homes were built before the earthquake codes were changed, making them more vulnerable to shaking damage as well as causing injuries to families. These pre-1980 homes can be strengthened to resist earthquake damage by reinforcing three typical weaknesses at the foundation, basement and first floor levels.

Regional Home Retrofit provides free classes and consumer information for homeowners, training for contractors, a tool-lending library for do-it-yourselfers, pre-engineered drawings, an expedited permit process with inspections at participating building departments, financing and much more. The goal is to make retrofitting as easy as possible for homeowners, so the process has been simplified. There are resources at every turn to assist making good decisions for a safer home and family.

“The time of year is perfect for taking on home projects, and since we never know when the next quake will strike – today is a good day to begin.” stated Roger Faris, a retrofitting expert. “Homes needing retrofit are spread throughout the region, so it’s important to know there are resources through Regional Home Retrofit to assist you in protecting your home and family today."