OAKLAND, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted $1.9 million to the Town of Fairfax to seismically retrofit its recreational pavilion, the town’s only publicly-owned emergency shelter.
Built in 1926, the Fairfax Pavilion was not intended to protect residents from earthquakes. At that time, building codes were virtually nonexistent. But today, it would be used to house a portion of Fairfax’s 7,500 residents in the event of an emergency or major disaster like an earthquake, the area’s greatest risk.
To limit building damage from earthquakes and ensure residents and emergency responders are safe from aftershocks, the earthquake retrofit will enhance the building’s structural integrity by reinforcing the roof and floor with plywood and metal ties, upgrading wall studs and replacing the foundation. The project will also be designed with internal and external accessibility features to accommodate individuals with disabilities, making the pavilion compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The $2.5 million project includes a $1.9 million grant from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), with the remaining $637,000 from non-federal sources.
FEMA’s HMGP helps states, territories, federally-recognized tribes, local communities, and certain private, non-profit organizations become more resilient to potential infrastructure damage and reduce future disaster costs. In the past 31 years, FEMA has invested nearly $1.4 billion to reduce disaster risk in California.
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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters. Follow FEMA Region 9 online at twitter.com/femaregion9 or view more news releases at fema.gov/fema-regions/region-ix.