Kenai, AK: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Kenai in Seismic Design 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, Kenai ranks above 90% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 90th percentile.

Where Kenai sits in Alaska

USGS's underlying values for Kenai: 0.5g peak ground acceleration, 1.5g at short period, 0.6g at 1 second. Within Alaska alone, Kenai ranks 5 of 11 cities by seismic hazard - the 60th percentile in-state. Kenai has a population of about 7,770.

What a retrofit costs in Kenai

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 Alaska 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 Alaska.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Kenai 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 Kenai's figures come from

Kenai'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 Kenai.