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The Study of Household Preparedness: Preparing California For Earthquakes
The Study of Household Preparedness: Preparing California For Earthquakes
A Report by
The Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission
to the California State Legislature
The California Earthquake Preparedness Survey (CEPS) was conducted by the UCLA School of
Public Health and Survey Research Center for the State of California. The objective was to provide
baseline data describing how prepared California households are for earthquakes and where they get
their information about preparedness and mitigation. In developing the questionnaire for the survey,
UCLA created a number of other products. These products are listed on page 21 at the end of this report.
They are referenced when appropriate in the text. Telephone interviews were conducted with a
representative sample of 2,081 households in California between June 26 and December 18, 2008. The
sample was stratified into: the ten northern California counties at greatest risk of earthquakes, the six
southern California counties at greatest risk, and the remaining 42 lower-risk counties.
FINDINGS
1. California residents are exposed to numerous ongoing programs and recommended actions
designed to increase household earthquake preparedness and mitigation (Chapter 1).
2. The many actions recommended for increasing earthquake preparedness and mitigation can be
consolidated into the “Get Ready” Pyramid (Chapter 2).
3. Californians in high risk areas are not getting ready in proportion to the differential risks they face
(Chapter 3).
4. People who have done things to get ready have done them for a variety of reasons and not just
because of earthquakes (Chapter 3).
5. Most of the actions Californians have taken are simple preparations; relatively few households
have acted to mitigate losses and reduce injuries (Chapter 3).
6. Some Californians believe earthquake myths that could lead to loss of life and injuries in an
earthquake (Chapter 3).
8. In the absence of an actual disaster, “information received” and “information observed” are most
likely to increase household investment in earthquake preparedness and mitigation (Chapter 4).
9. Many of the messages delivered to Californians about earthquake preparedness and mitigation
are diluted and take a “one-size-fits-all” approach (Chapters 1-4).
10. Intuition has most frequently been used as the basis for developing the content and dissemination
of earthquake preparedness and mitigation programs in California; evidence-based knowledge
about how to motivate people to get ready has been underutilized (Chapters 1-4).
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RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Coordinate the content and dissemination efforts of information providers so that they
constitute an ongoing stream of communication across time and targets (Findings 1-4, 7-9).
2. Prompt household action by increasing the visibility of preparedness and mitigation activities
throughout the State of California (Finding 8).
3. Disseminate a standardized message to households about earthquake preparedness and
mitigation (Findings 1-5, 7-9).
4. Provide additional customized messages targeted to special sub-populations (Finding 6).
5. Supplement information with other strategies to help Californians who have difficulty
preparing for earthquakes (Findings 1-7).
6. Use evidence-based information to develop and disseminate information about earthquake
preparedness and mitigation to households (Findings 9-10).
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Chapters
LIST OF PRODUCTS.................................................................................................... 21
APPENDIX .................................................................................................................... 21
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Chapter 1
In the fall of 2007, a review was conducted to identify major local, state, and national public
readiness programs pertinent to California residents (Existing Major Public Education/Information
Campaigns on Household Mitigation and Preparedness in the State of California, September 24, 2007).
The review revealed numerous ongoing efforts which varied in target audience, content, and level and
method of dissemination.
Two major national campaigns were identified. Both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s
“Ready” campaign and the American Red Cross’ “Get Prepared” campaign emphasize getting an
emergency kit, making a plan, and staying informed. They provide tailored information to population
subgroups, including Spanish speakers, people with disabilities, children, and small business owners.
They also endorse National Preparedness Month (September).
State-wide programs include the “Be Smart, Be Responsible, Be Prepared. Get Ready!”
campaign for which the First Lady, Maria Shriver, serves as Honorary Chairperson; the earthquake safety
information and publications provided by the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission; and the
California Department of Public Health’s “Be Prepared California” program. The “Be Smart, …” campaign
is a statewide disaster preparedness campaign. As part of its extensive media campaign, it proclaimed
May as Disaster Preparedness Month and September 20th as Day of Preparedness. State law requires
that the “Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety,” one of several publications developed by the
Seismic Safety Commission, be given to every buyer of a home built before 1960. The Department of
Public Health’s program is unique in that it focuses on preparedness for bioterrorism and other public
health threats and emergencies.
A few regional programs were identified, including the Earthquake Country Alliance’s “Dare to
Prepare” campaign launched in 2007. It focuses on the earthquake hazard in southern California and is
perhaps best known for organizing the largest-ever earthquake drill, the “Great Southern California
Shakeout,” in 2008. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazard Program has partnered with
several government agencies and other groups to educate and inform the public about earthquake
preparedness and safety. It has made an exceptional effort to reach out to the limited English proficient
ethnic communities in the San Francisco Bay Area region through the distribution of multilingual
publications and partnerships with local ethnic media and businesses.
Finally, several local programs at the county and city level were identified. Some of the better
advertised campaigns include San Francisco Department of Emergency Management’s “Are you
Prepared?” campaign, the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management’s “Emergency Survival
Program” and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s “Just Be Ready: Prepare Together!”
campaign. These programs are well tailored to the demographics of the local communities and effectively
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use local media outlets (e.g., local news, PSAs, bus and shelter ads, community fairs, etc.) to disseminate
their messages.
A wide range of active earthquake preparedness and mitigation information programs exist in
California, and many Californians have likely heard one or more of their messages. But, numerous
independent programs can make it difficult for the public to identify clear and consistent messages which
are important to guide them toward action.
Chapter 2
The "Get Ready" Pyramid provides a framework within which the many actions recommended by
various agencies and programs to promote household preparedness for earthquakes and other
emergency events can be organized (Household Readiness/Preparedness Actions Inventory, October 8,
2007).
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The “Get Ready” Pyramid
Safeguard
Finances
Protect
Building Structure
Cost Secure
Building Contents
Organize
Supplies, Equipment, & Information
Plan What to Do
Page 6
The “Get Ready” Pyramid
The “Get Ready Pyramid” combines different things people can do to
get ready for earthquakes and other disasters. Layers of the pyramid
are organized by cost, with activities that are completely free at the
bottom, and increasing in cost as one moves up the pyramid.
Many of the things people can do to “get ready” are free.
Everyone can do something to get ready.
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The layers are organized along a continuum of cost and presented as a stacked pyramid with seven
mutually exclusive and exhaustive layers; each recommended action can be categorized into one of the
pyramid's layers (see Figure 1). The seven layers of the pyramid from the bottom up are: “Learn How to
be Ready,” “Plan and Organize,” “Train and Practice,” “Manage Supplies and Equipment,” “Secure
Building Contents,” Protect Building Structure,” and “Safeguard Finances.”
The general cost of “getting ready” increases as one moves up the pyramid, to the extent that
households must pay for training, supplies, equipment, etc. Actions toward the base of the pyramid are
intended to engage people further by attuning them to actions they can perform at little or no financial
cost and to things they already know or have. With the exception of the base level of the pyramid, which
involves learning about how to be ready, actions need not be initiated at a lower level on the pyramid;
they can be completed in any order.
Developed to organize recommended activities for earthquake preparedness and mitigation in
California, the "Get Ready" Pyramid can be adapted for use in promoting preparedness and mitigation in
other settings. Its seven categories of recommended actions capture every specific individual or
household action that could be taken and provide a comprehensive typology of these actions. This new
framework does not replace existing public education or information; rather, it integrates various
programs and their messages, highlighting the consistency across them. Although developed in the
context of earthquake readiness, the typology is applicable to all types of hazards. The explicit focus on
the affordability of many of the recommended activities may facilitate engagement in preparedness
activities, particularly among those with fewer resources.
The California Earthquake Preparedness Survey conducted by UCLA sought to measure, among
other things, the extent to which households in California have adopted earthquake readiness actions in
each of the seven categories represented by the “Get Ready” Pyramid.
Chapter 3
The California Earthquake Preparedness Survey (CEPS) was conducted by the UCLA School of
Public Health for the State of California to describe how prepared California households are for
earthquakes and where they get their information about preparedness and mitigation. The content of the
questionnaire was developed from the products listed on page 21. Telephone interviews were conducted
with a probability sample of 2,081 households in California. The sample was stratified into three areas:
the ten northern California counties at greatest risk of earthquakes, the six southern California counties at
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greatest risk, and the remaining 42 lower-risk counties. Interviews were conducted by the UCLA Survey
Research Center in either English or Spanish between June 26 and December 18, 2008.
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62.3
b. Information channels 48.0 White
Newspapers 60.7
Over 80% of respondents 54.2 Hispanic
respondents.
53.6
42.7
Face-to-face 42.5
60.0
Over 70% of people have gotten information about learning how to be ready for an earthquake,
organizing equipment and supplies, and making disaster plans. Fewer people have heard about
emergency response trainings, structural and non-structural mitigation, or earthquake insurance.
Residents of low-risk areas (compared to those of high-risk areas), and Hispanics and APIs (compared to
Whites and Blacks) were less likely to have received specific kinds of information about earthquake
preparedness.
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e. Milling behavior
On average, Californians believe and
Northern California (High Risk) Southern California (High Risk) Rest of California (Low Risk)
understand most of the information they
5
receive about earthquake preparedness and 4.5
4.4
4.5
4.4
4.1 4.1 4.0
mitigation, but are less likely to think about or 3.9
4 3.7
discuss the information with other people.
3.1 3.2
People in high-risk areas were more likely to 3 2.8
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5. Active information-seeking about earthquake preparedness
Few Californians actively
100%
look for information about 5 At least daily
4 At least weekly
earthquake preparedness and 80%
3 At least once a month
mitigation on a regular basis. Of 2 At least once a year
60%
1 Never
those who looked for information,
most found what they were looking 40%
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The reasons given for taking
actions did differ by geographic area. 14
Northern California (High Risk) Southern California (High Risk)
Those living in high-risk northern and 12 Rest of California (Low Risk)
The preparedness and mitigation activities reported by households can be examined within the
seven levels of the “Get Ready” Pyramid described in Chapter 2.
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Level 4: Manage supplies and equipment
Certain supplies and equipment that would be useful in an earthquake or other disaster are
commonly found in California households. Over 80% have first aid kits, flashlights and batteries, and
tools to turn off utilities in the house. There are other kinds of items that are not as commonly maintained
by California households. Fewer than 50% have dust masks, tools to rescue trapped people, or an extra
set of emergency supplies in the car. Of those who said they store an extra supply of food and water,
over 80% keep the minimum 3-day supply of food per person, but only 40% keep the recommended
minimum of 3 gallons of water per person. On average, Whites were more likely than other groups to
have various equipment and supplies. In general, there were no differences between households in high-
and low-risk areas of California.
%
0 20 40 60 80 100
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Level 7: Safeguard finances
Fewer than 20% of California Northern
7: Purchas ed 17.5 California
households have purchased earthquake (High Risk)
EQ ins urance
18.5
insurance for their home structure or contents, for home Southern
structure 11.7 California
with slightly more households in the high risk (High Risk)
areas reporting earthquake insurance Rest of
California
coverage. White respondents were most likely (Low Risk)
7: Purchas ed 18.2
to have purchased earthquake insurance for EQ ins urance
14.3
for home
their home structure and contents, followed by
contents 11.4
API, Black, and Hispanic respondents.
%
0 20 40 60 80 100
For information about earthquake preparedness provided on a website, the preferred web
address extension is .gov (35%) followed by .com (17%). There were no differences by geographic
area/risk or race/ethnicity, but it is important to note that 23% said they do not use the internet.
Consistent with other studies of computer utilization, this group has less education (11.6 vs. 14.9 years),
is older (58.9 vs. 44.5 years), has lower income ($41,000 vs. $80,000), is more likely to identify as
Hispanic (41% vs. 23%), and more likely to have been interviewed in Spanish (29% vs. 5%).
Californians generally said they prefer to receive official disaster warnings, alerts and notifications
from their local fire department (43%), followed by local emergency management offices (22%) and local
law enforcement (14%). The preferred channel for receiving such messages was television (35%)
followed by telephone (18%) and radio (17%). Hispanics (59%) and those living in high-risk southern
California counties (49%) strongly preferred receiving this information from local fire departments.
Hispanics (45%) and Blacks (52%) strongly preferred television for official emergency communication. In
addition to television, Whites indicated interest in radio (20%) and telephone calls (25%), and APIs
indicated interest in text messages to wireless devices (19%).
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Chapter 4
Relatively strong, conclusive, and replicated science-based evidence now exists in the social and
behavioral sciences regarding exactly what it takes to teach the public what they need to know, and how
to motivate them to take actions to prepare and mitigate for possible future events like earthquakes. This
evidence provides a stronger basis for increasing public knowledge and motivating public readiness than
approaches based on good intentions and intuition. It is summarized below.
The key question is behavioral: “how do you help people to stop, listen, and get ready for future
disasters that most think won’t really happen, and, if they do, will happen to other people and not them?”
Most people think that way because they think that they are not at risk of high consequence low
probability events. This perception of being safe is reinforced every day that a disaster does not occur.
Perceptions of “being safe” change to perceptions of “being at risk” immediately after a disaster.
Research has demonstrated, however, that perceptions of risk decline and perceptions of safety increase
to pre-disaster levels within a two-year period.
In the absence of an actual disaster, two factors are by far the strongest motivators of household
preparedness and mitigation. The first is “information received” about readiness. To be effective,
information must: come from multiple sources, be communicated over multiple channels of
communication, focus on what actions to take, explain how those actions cut future losses, and be
consistent (the same) across the different messages received. The second factor is “information
observed.” The impact of “seeing” others prepare and mitigate is generally stronger than passively
receiving information.
These two key factors have “direct” effects on increasing household preparedness and mitigation.
The more people hear, read, and see, the more they do to get ready. These factors also “indirectly” affect
household preparedness. They do this by increasing people’s knowledge and their perception that
recommended actions are effective, and by increasing discussions with others about earthquake
preparedness and mitigation. These factors, knowledge, perceived effectiveness, and discussion, in turn,
increase household preparedness and mitigation.
These clear and consistent findings are very good news. In the absence of an actual disaster
(the strongest way to get people’s attention and motivate action), the two major determinants of
household preparedness and mitigation are both “pliable.” Policies and programs can be developed that
increase information dissemination in ways that increase earthquake preparedness and mitigation.
Moreover, the information to action-taking relationship is linear: the more information disseminated to
households, the more they prepare and mitigate; the less information, the less preparedness and
mitigation.
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In comparison to information received and seen, most other factors do not matter much. Other
factors either are not related to household preparedness and mitigation, or their effects are small and
disappear when the information factors just described are included and “controlled” in models. These
other factors include the increased probability of a future event (which is certainly useful to know about for
other reasons) and demographic characteristics (which can constrain what people can afford, but have
little effect on readiness motivation).
Chapter 5
FINDING 1 (Chapter 1): California residents are exposed to numerous programs and
recommended actions designed to increase household earthquake preparedness and mitigation.
Programs to increase earthquake preparedness and mitigation have been developed at the federal, state,
regional and local level. The existence of numerous, uncoordinated programs makes it difficult for the
public to identify clear and consistent messages on which they can act.
FINDING 2 (Chapter 2): The many actions recommended for increasing earthquake preparedness
and mitigation can be consolidated into the “Get Ready” Pyramid. The numerous recommendations
made by the many programs to which Californians are exposed can be combined into a 7-layer typology
that ranges from those activities requiring no financial cost to those that require substantial financial
investment.
FINDING 3 (Chapter 3): Californians in high risk areas are not getting ready in proportion to the
differential risks that they face. The actions that Californians have taken to get ready for earthquakes
are relatively evenly distributed across the state. People in the high-risk northern and southern California
counties have not done more or less than people in low-risk areas of the state.
FINDING 4 (Chapter 3): People who have done things to get ready have done them for a variety of
reasons and not just because of earthquakes. The actions Californians have taken that are consistent
with getting ready for earthquakes are more likely to have been performed for a variety of reasons and
not just earthquakes. People in California’s high-risk counties are more likely to attribute their
preparedness and mitigation actions to earthquakes compared to people in the lower-risk areas of the
state.
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FINDING 5 (Chapter 3): Most of the actions Californians have taken are simple preparations;
relatively few households have acted to mitigate losses and reduce injuries. Most California
households have done some preparedness and mitigation for earthquakes. The activities they have done
tend to focus on easier preparations, with few households reporting more complicated or costly actions
such as structural reinforcement of homes, securing contents, or investment in earthquake insurance.
FINDING 6 (Chapter 3): Some Californians believe earthquake myths that could lead to loss of life
and injuries in an earthquake. Most residents do not believe most earthquake myths, but substantial
numbers believe myths that could threaten life and safety during an earthquake, for example, believing
that standing in doorways or running outside reduces risk. Although over 50% of Californians do not know
about the “triangle of life,” those who do know about it believe it is safer than “drop, cover, and hold on.”
FINDING 8 (Chapter 4): In the absence of an actual disaster, “information received” and
“information observed” are most likely to increase household investment in earthquake
preparedness and mitigation. The amount of information people hear, read and see determines
whether they prepare and mitigate. Other factors, including the increased probability of a future event,
perception of risk from a future event, and demographic characteristics like income, education, and age,
which may constrain what people can afford, have little effect on motivating people to prepare.
FINDING 9 (Chapters 1-4): Many of the messages delivered to Californians about earthquake
preparedness and mitigation are diluted and take a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Many groups in
California disseminate information about earthquake preparedness and mitigation (see Finding 7). Most
information providers recommend similar kinds of activities, but with different labels and variations in
completeness or “dose.” For example, some groups recommend the purchase of a preparedness kit,
others describe the full range of possible activities that could be taken, and most are somewhere in
between these two extremes. In disseminating information, most groups do not differentiate between
households in high-risk and low-risk communities, or between households that are already partially
prepared and motivated to actively seek information and those who are not yet ready either to prepare or
to search for information. Failure to discriminate between levels of preparedness and motivation may
explain why some dissemination efforts miss their audience.
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FINDING 10 (Chapters 1-4): Intuition has most frequently been used as the basis for developing
the content and dissemination of earthquake preparedness and mitigation programs in California;
evidence-based knowledge about how to motivate people to get ready is under-utilized. Most
public messages and dissemination plans for motivating earthquake preparedness and mitigation are
based on good intentions and intuition; some, but not most, are informed by research on how households
are motivated to take action to prepare and mitigate for earthquakes.
RECOMMENDATION 1 (Findings 1-4, 7-9): Coordinate the content and dissemination efforts of
information providers so that they constitute an ongoing stream of earthquake preparedness and
mitigation information across time and targets. Currently, information disseminated in California about
earthquake preparedness and mitigation is diverse, comes from many different providers, and is
disseminated in different ways and at different times. This range of sources and approaches needs to be
organized and coordinated into an “ongoing and diverse stream” of public information. This would result in
maximizing each information provider’s effectiveness. Ideally the many providers of information would
endorse the creation of an institutionalized leadership position that coordinates, integrates, and
orchestrates public education in California. The plan should include a mix of passive and proactive
dissemination of information that utilizes both traditional and emerging information technologies with the
objective of reaching all California residents and tourists independent of their level of interest in
earthquake preparedness and mitigation. Creating a statewide preparedness logo that identifies the
message, but not the messengers, could enhance coordination.
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should be informed by obvious need and the results of population surveys to determine what Californians
think and have and have not done to get ready in the context of changing risk information. Examples
include tsunami readiness information for coastal populations, removing “dangerous” beliefs such as it is
safe to get in a doorway or into the “triangle-of-life” during earthquakes, unique ways to reach special
sub-populations such as visitors and tourists, and local customized information needs. For example, in
preparation for a large earthquake on the San Andreas’ fault in southern California, Los Angeles area
households can be encouraged to invest in fire extinguishers and desert households to invest in more
water and food so they can be on their own for more than 72 hours.
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LIST OF PRODUCTS
In designing the survey and developing the content of the questionnaire used in the survey a
number of other products were created which provided background information. Those pertinent to the
content of the questionnaire are listed below.
6. Knowledge About Household Mitigation and Preparedness Inventory (December 11, 2007)
APPENDIX
Kano, Megumi, Michele Wood, Melissa M. Kelley, and Linda B. Bourque. 2009. California
Earthquake Preparedness Survey Report: Findings and Recommendations for Strengthening
Household Resiliency to Earthquakes. Final Report to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety
Commission and the California Emergency Management Agency. Los Angeles, CA: University of
California at Los Angeles.
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