California: Repairing the Past. Preparing for the Future

Wildfires and other environmental concerns continue to threaten the lives and livelihoods of California’s residents, communities, businesses, and industries. Throughout the State, organizations are coming together to respond comprehensively to the challenges, some being public agencies, others being private companies, foundations, and community groups. Coordinating the efforts of all is daunting but necessary for achieving ultimate success: a safer, more resilient neighborhood where losses due to any crisis are minimized and all who are affected are included in the rebuilding and recovery efforts.

Agencies on the Front Lines

Cal OEM

At the forefront of every responsive line of defense is California’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). This office watches over the whole of the state, assessing risks, vulnerabilities, and threats, and taking whatever actions are necessary under those specific circumstances. The OEM’s reach is long because California’s realities are unique:

• Its population of more than 38 million people is the highest in the nation.
• It encompasses the third-largest land area of all the states (163,695 square miles), behind Texas and Alaska.
• Its inherent geography poses virtually every type of physical and geographical threat to its communities: earthquakes, floods, drought, and fires are both common and widespread throughout the state.
• With the 4th largest economy in the world, the ‘Golden State’ also experiences its share of human-based threats, including public health emergencies, cyber attacks, economic upheavals, and more.

Responses to all of these concerns begin in the OEM, which assesses all incoming threats, develops appropriate response plans, and works to mitigate any potential damages that may occur.

Cal Fire

In constant collaboration with Cal OEM when fires occur is the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CAL FIRE). This state agency responds to all physical catastrophes, including fires, floods, hazardous materials spills, earthquakes, and more. It oversees fire responses for over 31 million acres of California property, both private and public, and its airborne resources can reach any corner of the State within 20 minutes. When not actively fighting flames, CAL FIRE also clarifies, develops, and delivers training to its responders, and sends out crews to reduce or prevent new fires from igniting. California has invested over $1 billion in its fire-fighting capacities, developing wildfire resilience to safeguard the State’s second most valuable asset: its land.

LA County OEM

In Los Angeles County, there’s a comparable series of disaster-based resources, developed to assess for, respond to, and mitigate damages caused by disasters, natural or otherwise. The LA County Office of Emergency Management maintains the County’s Emergency Operations Center (OEC), which operates 24/7, 365 days a year. The agency is also responsible for issuing alerts and warnings when disasters are imminent, and its team of Incident Commanders manages every incident that threatens health, life, or property within the County, seeking input and guidance from State and County officials.

The LA County OEM is also responsible for developing and managing the County’s overarching emergency management plans, including its Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan (OAEOP) and its County of Los Angeles All-Hazards Mitigation Plan.

California Community Foundation

Another partner in California’s disaster response network is the California Community Foundation (CCF). This non-profit agency focuses on responding to the human realities when calamity strikes, offering food, shelter, and other resources to those impacted by a fire, earthquake, or other disaster. Its capacity for community outreach is unsurpassed, as is evidenced by its success following the Eaton/Altadena/Pacific Palisades fires this past winter. In the six months following that conflagration, the CCF amassed over $100 million from more than 47,000 donors, all of which is dedicated to helping those who’ve lost everything as well as those who need short-term support as they pursue their own recovery. To support the ongoing recovery efforts in the LA area, the CCF has committed another $30 million to rebuild homes, apartments, and other civic resources lost to the flames in January 2025. In addition to inputs from State and County-based agencies, the CCF also conducted a 2,000-person survey of Eaton fire survivors to clarify precisely what they need in its aftermath. This information will assist in developing resources to meet those immediate needs and also provide a foundation for strategies to reduce these losses or suffering when the next catastrophe hits.

Eaton Fire Survivor Network

Rising from the ashes of the Eaton fire itself is this small agency populated completely by survivors of the January 2025 fires. This 8,000+ member group collectively experienced some of the worst losses possible – their homes, their livelihoods, their pets, and sometimes, their family members. Launched as the fires erupted on January 7th, 2025, the WhatsApp message board of the Altadena Town and Country Pickleball Club announced that there was a ‘fire on the mountain’ that instantly leveraged the power of the community to fight the flames or save the neighborhood. After the fires subsided, the EFSN developed its three pillars of guidance and actions:

1. Connecting survivors to vital resources – Every member benefits from the resources shared in the group’s 50+ “Discord” channels, whether those are informational, economic, or some other form of support. Since many share the same types of losses, these channels guide them directly to the supplier they need.
2. Ensuring the voice of the survivor is heard – The group learned early on that facts matter when response decisions are being made. The EFSN has placed more than 350 survivor accounts in news stories to inform the public of what they went through and what and why they need more now. Their firm belief is that their presence is making the recovery fairer for everyone.
3. Ensuring that insurance payouts are timely and accurate – Sadly, even after all these months, as much as 70% of all insurance claims made in response to the fires have been imappropriately delayed or denied. Coalitions developed within the group now take on these claims, helping individual families navigate systems and survive the process.

You can hear about or from these agencies directly as they share their information at Pasadena City College’s 7th Annual Future of Work Conference, Tuesday, October 28th, on the PCC campus (register here). By working together to resolve losses and build resilience on every level of civic activity, Los Angeles City, County, and surrounding communities stand a better chance of surviving the next crisis event and thriving in its aftermath.