San Diego County is unprepared for climate disasters
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Historic storms caused severe flooding in San Diego in January. Photo: Carlos Moreno/Anadolu via Getty Images
California is the worst state for climate disasters, with San Diego ranking low for preparedness, a recent study shows.
Why it matters: We're heading into wildfire season after historic winter storms, and climate impacts have become a major point of concern for homebuyers in California.
Driving the news: San Diego County is among the least-prepared places for climate disasters, according to homeowners insurance resource ClaimGuide's risk assessment of more than 3,000 U.S. counties.
- The county ranked 11th nationwide, with a nearly $800 million expected annual loss to weather and natural disasters.
- It scored poorly on community resilience and preparedness, as well as residents' vulnerability.
State of play: Devastating flooding in January exposed San Diego's poorly maintained stormwater infrastructure that desperately needs fixing and funding, including more than $2 billion in necessary upgrades.
- The city's newly signed 2025 budget includes nearly $90 million for flood control and "green" infrastructure projects.
- Separately, more than $235 million is being spent on projects to improve flood resilience and water quality in the heavily impacted Chollas Creek area, City News Service reported.
- Meanwhile, the city faces multiple lawsuits from residents related to its management of the stormwater infrastructure.
The latest: San Diego County last week received $37 million in federal funding to reduce flood risks in Mission Beach.
- The money is on top of a $733 million EPA loan for upgrades that San Diego received in 2022.
Zoom out: California accounted for six of the top 10 least-prepared and highest-risk counties nationwide — particularly the coastal and desert counties of Southern California.
- A low community-resilience score helped put Los Angeles County at No. 1 in the national damage forecast, with expected losses of nearly $4 billion this year.
- Flash floods, mudslides, heat and fire risks put Riverside and San Bernardino counties in third and fourth place, respectively.
- Orange, Santa Barbara, Ventura and some Bay Area counties also ranked in the top 20.
By the numbers: California declared 155 disasters from 2014 to 2024, far surpassing the next-closest state of Washington with 88.
- The state's total expected loss for climate disasters and weather events is more than $16 billion, per ClaimGuide's study.
The fine print: ClaimGuide's analysis is based on data from FEMA's National Risk Index, which determines an overall risk score for 18 different natural hazards.
The big picture: In the past year, several major insurers have decided to stop offering new homeowner policies in California as climate change-related threats mount.
- A recent survey found that Americans now believe climate change is a major threat and are open to making lifestyle changes, such as drinking recycled wastewater.
What to watch: San Diego voters could see a tax increase to repair the stormwater system on the November ballot.
- The proposed property tax would cost the average household about $20 each month.