Are You Prepared For Disaster? Arizona Sure Isn’t

When we think of disasters, most people's minds tend to travel to hurricanes, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions. Because of the lack of all those things here, most people tend to count off Arizona as a relatively disaster free zone.

This couldn't be further from the truth, and Arizona residents know it. Which is what makes the state's response to disaster so horrifying.

Disasters Across the U.S. are on the Rise

2023 was a monumental year in United States disasters. The year held the most billion dollar disasters in the country's history, and it seems that trend will only continue.

Because of this influx in disasters, tech non-profit SmileHub put together a report on the disaster preparedness of every state in the Union, and it doesn't look good for Arizona.

Read More: Arizona Braces for Worst Fire Season in Years

Arizona's Disaster Preparedness Rank

Out of the 50 U.S. states, Arizona ranked 49th in the country in Disaster Preparedness with a score of 30.01. For reference, Massachusetts, the top state, scored a 57.19.

This is obviously horrible, and breaking it down doesn't help. The state scored 49th in Infrastructure Resilience, 48th in Planning and Funding, and a surprising 21st in Risk Assessment and Lasting Damage.

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What Can Arizona Do?

In a state ravaged by wildfires, heatwaves, and droughts, the state needs to step up. We've seen small changes made to help lighten the load after last summer, but major overhauls are needs to fix Arizona's lack of prep.

Talk to your local representatives, call your congressmen, and take action today for the future we want to see tomorrow.

But hey, at we're not last. Thank God for Mississippi.

[SmileHub]

[AzCentral]