Living in a Mobile Home in California you know that you run the risk of your home being damaged by an earthquake. There are many articles published about how to save the items inside your home but what about the home itself.
The first thing you should do is making sure that you have earthquake coverage written into your insurance policy. This is key, even if you have a bracing system, some damage may still occur and you want to be able to make repairs to your home as soon as possible.
Once you have done this you can move on to the following steps.
If you are purchasing a new home and are not planning to immediately install a brace system, ask the manufacturer to include the axles and hitch into the purchase agreement and leave them on the home once it is in place. This will not prevent the home from shifting during an earthquake BUT it should prevent the home from crashing into the ground and will make re-installation easier. These can be easily removed when a bracing system is installed later.
Make sure your steel piers are attached to the main beam of your home as well as to their footings. This will prevent your home from jumping off its piers.
Wind and Earthquakes both shift your home on its foundation. So logically, tying down your home according to the manufactures instructions for wind. Most manufactures recommend anchoring the two long sides of your home for wind, when anchoring with tie downs for earthquakes make sure to cover all four sides of your home.
For more information on bracing your home Click Here to download the HUD Manual.
