Hood River, OR: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Hood River is Category C. Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. That puts Hood River in the 78th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 78% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Where Hood River sits in Oregon

USGS's underlying values for Hood River: 0.23g peak ground acceleration, 0.517g at short period, 0.238g at 1 second. Within Oregon alone, Hood River ranks 76 of 80 cities by seismic hazard - the 5th percentile in-state. Hood River has a population of about 8,350.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

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 Oregon 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 Oregon.

Earthquake insurance for a Hood River home

A Hood River 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 Hood River's figures come from

Hood River's Category C 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 C does and doesn't tell you about Hood River.