FEMA grants SLC $3.7M for seismic retrofitting

The Federal Emergency Management Administration has announced an award of more than $3.7 million to Salt Lake City. The funds are the federal cost share for the “Fix the Bricks” mitigation project to address the threat of structural collapse of residential unreinforced masonry (URM) structures during an earthquake event.

The project funds the seismic retrofitting of 216 residential URM structures, including seismic wall-to-roof retrofits, bracing of URM chimneys, and marketing efforts to inform the general public about the project. This project will reduce the likelihood of structural collapse and allow occupants to escape, thereby reducing injury and loss of life, the agency said.

FEMA is providing a 75 percent federal cost share for the $5 million project. Funding is provided through FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program, which is designed to assist states, U.S. territories, federally recognized tribes, and local communities in implementing a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program. The goal is to reduce overall risk to the population and structures from future hazard events, while also reducing reliance on federal funding in future disasters.