California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services leads the charge before, during, and after disaster strikes
by Dorsey Griffith
Large-scale natural disasters and other emergencies are part of the fabric of California, with its large population spread over a patchwork of landscapes from high desert to forested mountains, fertile valleys and picturesque coastlines.
One agency, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), is responsible for protecting people and property before, during, and after these events. Whether it’s a flood, wildfire, earthquake, drought, extreme heat, or pandemic, Cal OES is responsible for reducing long-term risks, hardening areas likely to be affected by natural disasters and responding and mitigating events when they occur.
“Cal OES is the state’s hub for all emergencies and natural disasters,” says Diana Crofts-Pelayo, the agency’s former assistant director of crisis communications and public affairs from 2020-24. “When it comes to emergencies, man-made or natural, coordination and collaboration is really key, not just with our state partners but also with local and federal governments and our communities.”
“When it comes to emergencies, man-made or natural, coordination and collaboration is really key, not just with our state partners but also with local and federal governments and our communities.”
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, Former California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Assistant Director of Crisis Communications and Public Affairs, Current Deputy Director of Communications for Governor Gavin Newsom
Cal OES’s work spans building resilience; securing resources to help prevent or be deployed during an emergency; communicating with people at risk; and engaging with other emergency preparedness, response and recovery organizations.
With more frequent and intense disasters over the years, in part due to climate change, Cal OES has become more vigilant and nimble.
“We have seen over time the hots getting hotter, the wets are wetter and dries are drier,” says Crofts-Pelayo, now Governor Newsom’s deputy director of communications.
The agency was formed in 1943 as the State War Council and officially became the Office of Emergency Services in 1970, by then mostly concerned with earthquake response. Lessons learned from Europe’s response to collapsed buildings during World War II yielded better seismic safety rules and regulations in California, Crofts-Pelayo says.
Today, the agency’s primary focus is on wildfires.
“We have seen that wildfires have had a huge impact on how we live, work and play in the state,” she says. “We needed to understand that wildfires don’t just happen during one season and are unique in how they touch our different landscapes, geography and topography. We needed to get savvy and make profound investments to ensure we have state-of-the-art resources to detect small fire starts and deploy resources rapidly to put them out.”
Cal OES also has invested in its communications resources, particularly those for traditionally underserved populations.
“We are a state of almost 40 million people. There is no majority race, culture or background,” she says. “With so many diverse communities and neighborhoods we needed to ensure that they had relevant information that could help them in real time.”
The Listos California campaign, launched in 2019, represents a new way to help vulnerable communities prepare for emergencies by providing community-based organizations with information in multiple languages and on myriad platforms.
“Being able to have culturally competent messaging with trusted communicators and messengers who can disseminate that information is really key,” says Crofts-Pelayo.
Crofts-Pelayo says the agency’s effort to strengthen California against all threats is never complete, and emergencies will continue to strike, but its growing capacity and capability to prepare for and respond to them are formidable.
“From massive flooding in 2023 to the devastating wildfires the last few years—the Dixie, Caldor, Camp—catastrophic events that impact lives and livelihoods, the state has done some remarkable work to help people in times of need.”
For more information about the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, go to www.caloes.ca.gov/. For more information about Listos California, go to www.listoscalifornia.org.
