West Memphis, AR: what USGS's seismic model says

West Memphis carries Seismic Design Category D under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. 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. Rank it against the rest of the country and West Memphis sits at the 95th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where West Memphis sits in Arkansas

USGS's underlying values for West Memphis: 0.659g peak ground acceleration, 1.108g at short period, 0.381g at 1 second. Within Arkansas alone, West Memphis ranks 8 of 68 cities by seismic hazard - the 90th percentile in-state. West Memphis has a population of about 23,538.

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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas.

Earthquake insurance for a West Memphis home

A West Memphis 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 West Memphis's figures come from

West Memphis'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 West Memphis.