Cape Girardeau, MO: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Cape Girardeau is Category D. High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. Nationally, Cape Girardeau ranks above 95% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 95th percentile.

Where Cape Girardeau sits in Missouri

USGS's underlying values for Cape Girardeau: 0.666g peak ground acceleration, 1.112g at short period, 0.382g at 1 second. Within Missouri alone, Cape Girardeau ranks 5 of 135 cities by seismic hazard - the 97th percentile in-state. Cape Girardeau has a population of about 40,818.

Retrofit economics for Cape Girardeau

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by Missouri specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in Missouri.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Cape Girardeau homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Cape Girardeau's figures come from

Cape Girardeau's Category D and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category D does and doesn't tell you about Cape Girardeau.