Here's how you can get $3,000 to help protect your home from earthquake damage

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The state is once again making sure Californians are ready for the next big earthquake.

This year's Great California ShakeOut took place at 10:20 a.m. on Thursday where millions participated in earthquake drills at work, school, or home.

Since the first Great California ShakeOut kicked off 15 years ago, experts have been compiling data on the advantages of bracing or bolting older buildings.

In 2015, an ordinance requiring soft story or wood framed homes and apartment complexes be retrofitted in the city of Los Angeles went into effect.

More than $1 billion have been spent in retrofitting thousands of structures.

"The ordinance has led to 8,000 buildings being retrofitted. Those are home to 117,000 housing units or almost a quarter of a million people," Keith Porter/ Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction.

According to data from the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, the L.A. retrofit ordinance will save more than $40 billion in earthquake damage and prevent 28,000 deaths and injuries and prevent the loss of some 65,000 homes.

Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones believes more cities in California should look into earthquake retrofitting ordinances.

"Eight cities have joined Los Angeles, there's 180 others around Southern California that could benefit from it, and that's what we intend to do with this information," she said.

Plus, there's a state grant program that helps property owners with up to $3,000 to retrofit their house or apartment complex. L.A.-area Landlord Hiru Tejwani said that's worth looking into.

"Our building was built in '87 and '88 so I'm not sure if it would qualify, but I'll look into it," he said.

For more information on the state's retrofitting program and to see if you qualify, visit California Earthquake Authority's website to register.