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Barriers to emergency preparedness in East Palo Alto were uncovered by a survey conducted in October 2022, the county of San Mateo announced Wednesday, Dec. 13.
Completed in-person with residents over three days, the findings were part of a rapid needs assessment called Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER), which conducted interviews in English and Spanish.
The survey showed that only half of residents surveyed in the city had emergency supply kits for power outages, earthquakes, or other disasters. Moreover, just under 60% had signed up for the county's emergency alert system that warns of imminent threats and provides evacuation notices.
The county also referenced lower income levels and less access to health care as barriers many in the city face.
Only 32% said they had an emergency communication plan for family and friends to connect with if something were to happen, such as a natural disaster, the survey revealed. Just under 40% reported keeping copies of emergency documents.
"Our district's work is data-driven," said Brian Weber, district manager at San Mateo Mosquito and Vector Control District, in a Dec. 13 press release. "The data from this report will help us strategically strengthen our outreach efforts so residents are more aware of the taxpayer-funded services we offer to everyone living in the county."
Those services were not widely known in East Palo Alto, as the survey also found that nearly 75% were unaware of rebate programs for air conditioning and utility assistance.
Despite this, 75% of residents surveyed reported no barriers to receive communications during emergencies, meaning no hearing, vision or language challenges, however 16% of respondents did cite difficulty with English as a challenge.
The survey was developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and uses a methodology which broke the city up into clusters and randomly surveyed households within those clusters to ensure a random but geographically representative survey.
The findings are then used by experts and local governments to better plan for emergency responses and to gauge community resources and needs.
"The data are really valuable in helping local governments and community organizations identify gaps and opportunities for further engagement," said Karen Pfister, County Health epidemiology program manager and one of the leaders of the CASPER project, in the press release.
