Ready is how California leads, and every Californian has a role to play

Since taking office, Governor Newsom has strengthened California’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

“Preparedness is a shared responsibility, built through strong partnerships and informed communities that know what to do when an emergency happens,” said Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs. “Preparedness is about looking out for one another, planning ahead, and helping our families, friends, and communities stay safe when emergencies happen. The steps we take today can make a meaningful difference when every second counts.”

“Thanks to historic investments, we’re leveraging the best tools and talent to help keep Californians safe,” said CAL FIRE Chief/Director Joe Tyler. “However, while CAL FIRE remains vigilant and ready to respond to emergencies, true resilience comes when every Californian recognizes their role in preparedness and does their part too.”

The state has expanded lifesaving warning systems, increased emergency response capacity, invested in prevention, and supported communities in preparing for the risks they face. Here’s how the state is showing up across key areas:

Earthquake ready: In 2019, Governor Newsom launched Earthquake Warning California, the nation’s first public statewide earthquake early-warning system. The system detects earthquakes using ground-motion sensors and can issue alerts through the MyShake app, compatible Android devices, and Wireless Emergency Alerts before shaking is felt. As of today, the app has over 4.7 million downloads across all platforms. During a 2024 earthquake in Kern County, the system alerted millions of Californians, with some receiving up to 35 seconds of advance notice.
Heat ready: Governor Newsom has also made extreme-heat preparedness a statewide priority. In 2025, California launched CalHeatScore, a first-in-the-nation tool that provides ZIP code-level information on the health risks of heat. In July 2026, the state mobilized ahead of extreme heat and elevated fire risk across the West, pre-positioning fire crews and equipment in eight counties and delivering heat-safety messaging statewide in 17 languages through Ready California. In August, Governor Newsom announced an updated Extreme Heat Action Plan, organized around four tracks — public awareness, community response, resilient infrastructure, and nature-based cooling solutions — to protect Californians as extreme heat becomes more frequent and severe.
Storm ready: California is preparing earlier for flood and winter storm threats. Before a 2025 atmospheric river event, the state pre-positioned more than 3.7 million sandbags and 162 flood-fighting material containers across 25 counties. Caltrans deployed 2,500 personnel and 1,253 pieces of equipment, including snowplows, backhoes, and storm-drain clearing equipment. Since 2015, the California Department of Water Resources has trained more than 7,000 local first responders on how to fight floods. And California maintains a stockpile of more than 6.1 million sandbags, 400,000 tons of rock, and other flood-fighting materials at 70 locations statewide.
Fire ready: California’s investments are life-saving. The state now operates the nation’s first state-owned fleet of C-130H airtankers, launched three FireSat wildfire-detection satellites in June 2026, and expanded ALERTCalifornia’s AI camera network to more than 1,200 cameras statewide that have detected over 900 fires before 911 calls were made. As part of the state’s ongoing investment in wildfire resilience and emergency response, CAL FIRE has significantly expanded its workforce over the past five years by adding an average of 1,800 full-time and 600 seasonal positions annually — nearly double that available when Governor Newsom first took office. Since January 1, 2025, Cal OES has pre-deployed 1,132 fire engines, 154 water tenders, 80 helicopters, 142 pieces of heavy equipment, and more than 9,900 firefighters and support personnel to 41 counties ahead of critical fire weather and potential flooding.
Security ready: Since 2015, Governor Gavin Newsom, in partnership with the Legislature, has invested $300 million in state funding to 1,614 nonprofits and places of worship to help protect against violent attacks and hate crimes. Under the Governor’s leadership, California has updated its cybersecurity roadmap, known as Cal-Secure 2.0, to address emerging threats from artificial intelligence and foreign state actors. Increasing California’s readiness in cyberspace.

Since its inception in 2019, Ready California has invested over $150 million in more than 680 community-based organizations, tribes, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) programs, volunteers, and service teams, reaching over 16 million Californians engaged through face-to-face outreach. Ready California continues to serve all 58 counties with over 3,000 community and emergency services leaders trained to lead preparedness efforts, strengthening statewide resilience. The Governor has also expanded Ready California to focus not only on preparedness but also on response, recovery, and the overall resilience of California communities. Ready California is reaching over 16 million Californians in all 58 counties and training more than 3,000 community and emergency services leaders.

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