California
Earthquakes, wildfires, drought, flooding, landslides, and tsunami risk. California has the widest hazard profile of any state. The preparation that matters depends entirely on which part of California you call home.
Enter your California ZIP for live alerts, forecasts, and county-specific data.
Know your region
San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Rosa. The San Andreas and Hayward faults run directly through the metro. USGS gives a 72 percent chance of a M6.7 or greater quake here by 2043. The 2017 Tubbs Fire destroyed 5,600 structures in Santa Rosa. Atmospheric rivers flood the Russian River valley.
Primary hazards: earthquakes, wildfires, atmospheric river flooding, tsunami
Los Angeles, San Diego, the Inland Empire, Ventura, Santa Barbara. Santa Ana winds turn canyon fires into urban firestorms. The 2018 Woolsey Fire burned through Malibu. The 2018 Montecito debris flow killed 23 people. Earthquake risk from dozens of active faults is constant.
Primary hazards: wildfires, earthquakes, debris flows, drought, heat
Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, the farm belt. River flooding from atmospheric rivers threatens the Valley floor. The 2023 storms caused levee failures. Sierra Nevada communities face wildfire (the 2021 Caldor Fire reached Lake Tahoe) and heavy snow that isolates mountain towns.
Primary hazards: flooding, wildfire, drought, extreme heat, winter storms
Your hazard profile
Each links to a full guide with during-event protocol, recovery steps, and resources specific to CA.
The San Andreas Fault and dozens of other active faults cross the state. The 1994 Northridge earthquake caused 0 billion in damage. USGS gives a 72 percent chance of a M6.7 or greater quake in the Bay Area by 2043. Earthquake insurance is separate from homeowners insurance.
Read the earthquakes guide →
Fire season now extends nearly year-round. The 2018 Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. Over 4 million acres burned in 2020. Santa Ana and Diablo winds turn small fires into urban firestorms in hours.
Read the wildfires guide →
The 2012 to 2016 drought required mandatory water restrictions statewide. Declining snowpack threatens municipal water supplies. The Colorado River aqueduct, which serves Southern California, is being cut. Water conservation is a permanent way of life.
Read the drought guide →
Atmospheric river storms dump historic rain in days. The 2023 winter storms caused widespread flooding, levee failures, and mudslides across the state. Post-fire burn scars amplify flood and debris flow risk for years.
Read the atmospheric river flooding guide →
The 2018 Montecito debris flow killed 23 people weeks after the Thomas Fire. Fire-denuded slopes plus heavy rain equals deadly debris flows. Coastal bluff erosion threatens homes along the entire coast.
Read the landslides and debris flows guide →
California resources
California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. Coordinates statewide disaster response, manages the alert system, and administers FEMA programs for the state.
California Earthquake Authority. Residential earthquake insurance, retrofit grants, and the CEA Brace + Bolt program that helps homeowners secure their homes to their foundations.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Fire hazard severity zone maps, defensible space inspections, burn permits, and real-time fire incident information.
UC Berkeley's earthquake early warning app for California. Sends alerts seconds before shaking arrives. Free on iOS and Android. Works with the ShakeAlert system.
Department of Water Resources. Snowpack levels, reservoir storage, flood forecasts, drought status, and the California Data Exchange Center for real-time conditions.
Southern California forecasts, red flag warnings, flash flood warnings, and Santa Ana wind outlooks. Critical during fire weather season.
The town that disappeared
On November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire ignited in the foothills of Butte County. Within four hours, the town of Paradise was destroyed. 85 people died, most of them elderly residents who could not evacuate fast enough. Over 18,000 structures burned. It was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.
The lesson is about speed. Paradise had evacuation plans. It had warning systems. But the fire moved faster than the plans accounted for. Narrow mountain roads became gridlocked. Embers jumped ahead of the fire front. People who waited to confirm the threat did not have time to leave.
For every California household in the wildland-urban interface, the preparation is not just having a go-bag. It is knowing your evacuation route, having a second route, leaving early, and understanding that a fire can move faster than traffic.