What is the cost of being unprepared for disaster?
In California, the numbers remain staggering.
Over the past few years, natural disasters—from pandemics and wildfires to storms and earthquakes—have brought billions in losses. While recovery efforts are costly, one fact remains clear: proactive investments in disaster preparedness can save lives and billions of dollars.
The Cost of Disaster Today
The COVID-19 pandemic may no longer dominate headlines, but its economic aftershocks are still being felt. Combined with record-breaking wildfires in 2023,2024 and 2025, California’s disaster response and recovery efforts have cost tens of billions of dollars. Meanwhile, researchers continue to warn of the much greater costs a major earthquake could bring.
In fact, experts estimate a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Southern California could result in over $250 billion in damages, thousands of lives lost, and hundreds of thousands displaced. The U.S. Geological Survey’s “ShakeOut” scenario outlines the real and terrifying possibility of mass building collapse and widespread infrastructure failure.
Investing in Preparedness Pays Off
Studies continue to show a 4-to-1 return on investment for disaster mitigation. Yet California, like many regions, still underinvests in seismic retrofitting despite the known risks. While the state has made significant strides in wildfire resilience through updated building codes and defensible space requirements, seismic safety remains a looming concern.
We already know which buildings are most at risk:
- Pre-1978 soft-story structures with parking below
- Pre-1933 unreinforced masonry buildings
- Pre-1980 concrete tilt-up buildings
- Pre-1978 non-ductile concrete structures
- Pre-1996 steel moment frame buildings
Many cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Monica, have adopted ordinances requiring the retrofitting of vulnerable buildings. Since 2015, over 6,000 soft-story buildings in Los Angeles alone have been strengthened, representing real progress toward a more resilient future.
Still, thousands more structures remain at risk. And as California’s population and urban density continue to grow, the potential for catastrophic losses increases.
The Lessons of Wildfire Resilience
California’s experience with wildfire provides a powerful case study in the value of building codes. Homes in Paradise built after 2008, under the state’s Chapter 7A wildfire code, were nearly three times more likely to survive the 2018 Camp Fire than older homes.
Similar logic applies to earthquakes: when we know what types of buildings are vulnerable, and we know how to strengthen them, the only thing left is to act.
A Call to Action for 2025
The longer we delay, the greater the risk. Earthquakes cannot be prevented, but the damage they cause can be mitigated through responsible planning, retrofitting, and community-wide resilience initiatives.
Now is the time to invest in safer buildings. Not only do retrofits protect lives and property, they preserve essential housing, keep businesses running, and help entire communities recover faster after a quake.
Disaster preparedness isn’t just smart policy—it’s the foundation of a safer, more sustainable California.
Optimum Seismic is here to help. Contact us for a free property evaluation and take the first step toward resilience.
Call (323) 605-0000 or visit www.optimumseismic.com.
