How much does retrofitting help?
See the true life story at the A True Story button. It is about two identical houses, one retrofitted and the other not and how they fared in the Loma Prieta earthquake. Studies by the Association of Bay Area Governments show that a properly retrofitted home is almost one thousand percent (1000%) more resistant to earthquake damage than one that is not retrofitted. Since earthquakes and the forces generated by them are unpredictable, seismic retrofitting cannot guarantee a house will receive no damage at all. However, it has been proven that seismic retrofitting greatly reduces the amount of damage a house receives and is highly effective in preventing catastrophic damage. In fact, insurance professionals advise homeowners to retrofit first…then get earthquake insurance. Several insurance companies wont even provide earthquake insurance unless a house has been retrofitted. See graph below. This graph represents expected damage to homes located in zones IX and X on ABAGs Earthquake Ha
