California Office of Emergency Services Archives

socal flooding — As the water level starts to drop, drivers make their way through flash flooding caused by a monsoonal thunderstorm that quickly dropped three inches of rain on a region still recovering from Tropical Storm Hilary on September 1, 2023 in Thermal, California. Less than two weeks earlier, Tropical Storm Hilary, which had been a hurricane off the west coast of Mexico, brought flood damage to the Southern California desert region. (David McNew / Getty Images)

Is California ready for another extreme storm season?

Ahead of a potentially intense winter storm season, California's emergency response departments are adopting new ways to protect communities and their residents.

Dec 14, 2023 By Sophia Fox-Sowell

FIRIS plane — A plane used in the FIRIS program sits at an airfield. (Cal OES)

California emergency agency uses high-tech fire plane for storm response

As storms inundate California, its Office of Emergency Services is repurposing a fire-response plane for views of the ground.

Jan 6, 2023 By Colin Wood

San Francisco — (Chris Lawton / Unsplash)

Californians can now get earthquake warnings on their phones

The new system, which Gov. Gavin Newsom called the first of its kind in the U.S., will notify residents up to 20 seconds before the shaking starts.

Oct 17, 2019 By Ryan Johnston

Carla-Simmons-Calif-OES-pro — Carla Simmons, chief information officer of the California Office of Emergency Services, speaks with VMware’s Nick Marquis in Sacramento. (StateScoop)

Tech response to disasters starts with culture, CIO of California’s emergency services says

Critical work doesn't get done unless everyone pitches in and supports each other, said Carla Simmons, the CIO of the state's Office of Emergency Services.

Jan 15, 2019 By Benjamin Freed