Core Pillar #2: Disaster Resilience and Planning

California faces an epic social, economic and health policy crisis as the proportion of its aging population increases simultaneously with the frequency and severity of natural disasters. During disasters, older adults are disproportionately numbered among the dead across hazards and nations:

• Hurricane Katrina, 2005 (75% deaths > age 60)
• Paris heat wave, 2004 (70% of deaths > age 75)
• Japan tsunami, 2011 (56% of deaths > age 65)
• Butte County Camp Fire, 2018 (77% of deaths > 65) 

According to the California State Plan on Aging, by 2060, 14.7 million Californians will be over the age of 60, and 2.2 million will be over 85. These dramatic increases underscore the urgent need for comprehensive disaster resilience plans that prioritize older adults' unique needs and vulnerabilities.