Officials of San Mateo County are urging residents to complete its Community Emergency Preparedness Survey, warning that participation remains especially low in some of the region’s highest-risk communities.
In a statement Monday, Board of Supervisors President David Canepa and Emergency Management Director Dr. Shruti Dhapodkar said the anonymous survey will guide how the county allocates emergency resources, issues warnings and supports residents during disasters.
Early results reportedly show striking gaps with Daly City — home to more than 100,000 people and sitting directly on the San Andreas Fault — submitting only 40 surveys. East Palo Alto has returned 23, despite flood risks from the Bay and nearby creeks. Coastside communities such as Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, which face tsunami threats, storm-related isolation and potential Highway 1 closures, also trail the rest of the county.
“The communities that often face the greatest challenges in emergencies are the least represented in our data,” Canepa said. “This survey is your seat at the table when decisions are made about how to protect your family and your neighborhood.”
County leaders said San Mateo County’s varied geography — with the Pacific Ocean on one side, the Bay on the other and the San Andreas Fault running through it — leaves residents vulnerable to a range of hazards. In recent years, the area has experienced tsunami warnings, wildfires, winter storms and earthquakes. Emergency preparedness has become one of the Board of Supervisors’ top funding priorities.
Dhapodkar said each response helps planners understand how families would react in an emergency.
“Every response helps us understand what real families need — where they’ll go during an evacuation, how they prefer to receive emergency alerts, whether they have pets or older relatives who need special consideration,” she said. “When communities participate, we can tailor our resources, our communications, and our outreach to actually reach them when it matters most.”
The survey is fully anonymous, collects no personal information, and is available in English, Spanish and Mandarin. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and is designed to help families assess their own readiness while providing planners with essential data.
Canepa acknowledged that some residents hesitate to engage with government surveys but stressed the importance of participation.
“This isn’t about personal details or immigration status,” he said. “It’s about making sure that when the next earthquake or storm arrives, emergency responders know how to reach every community and support every family.”
Residents in Daly City, San Bruno, Millbrae, South San Francisco, East Palo Alto, Pacifica, Half Moon Bay and North Fair Oaks are urged to respond and share the survey with neighbors and community groups.