Southern California Becomes More Disaster Aware

A burned neighborhood after the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, on Nov. 15, 2018. Photo: Josh Edelson / AFP - Getty Images file

For half a decade California has been besieged by drought, wildfire, and this winter heavy rains and snow. Now it expects summer floods. And, of course, the state is always subject to earthquakes so it’s not surprising that 74 percent of residents say they are knowledgeable about the steps to get prepared for a natural disaster. More than two-fifths (41%) claim they have a disaster supply kit with food, water, and other essential supplies.

The PPIC survey was conducted on the Ipsos online Knowledge Panel on May 17- 24, 2023, with 1,576 California adult residents. The survey had a margin of error of ±3.2 percentage points.

A majority of Californians (69%) have “a great deal or “some confidence” in state and local governments’ readiness to respond to natural disasters, with 71 percent of Los Angeles County and 72 percent of Orange and San Diego County residents expressing confidence. About a third have “very little or no confidence” in state and local government readiness.

READ: PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government