California faces an escalating threat from wildfires, earthquakes, and floods, each causing devastating loss of life, property damage, and economic hardship. Compared to other states, California suffered the largest number of federally declared disasters (282) between 2023 and 2023, a figure 61% larger than the second ranked state of Texas, with forest fires accounting for 8 out of every 10 disasters. California’s location along the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it highly susceptible to earthquakes. According to insurers, a major quake could lead to economic losses exceeding $300 billion, considering infrastructure damage, business interruptions, and long-term recovery costs. Flooding, made worse by rising atmospheric river events, continues to displace communities and strain emergency response systems. Long term forecasts indicate that these types of disaster events will continue to mount, challenging local communities to respond both before and after they strike.
The disaster management life cycle consists of four key phases: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Response, characterized by providing immediate assistance and protecting lives, and Recovery, restoring and rebuilding communities stronger to prevent future events, are full of government agencies and long-standing community-based organizations (CBOs) geared to jump in after disasters strike. However, Disaster Mitigation and Preparedness have typically received less attention and investment, despite having an out-sized positive impact that lessens the loss of life and damage to property, business, and the local economy.
As climate change intensifies, magnifying the impacts of disasters like these, California-based foundations have a critical role to play in bolstering community resilience by investing in resilience-building initiatives such as awareness and training, infrastructure hardening, and community-led emergency planning. This will reduce the harm to already vulnerable communities, protect lives, and ensure long-term sustainability for the most at-risk populations.
