Hazards

HAZARDS

Pre-disaster, Butte County still had social concerts with higher Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) score levels in comparison to the state. The Butte County Public Health Report shows scores of 74.0 vs. 54.3 per 1,000 children). The rolling nature of these natural disasters has intensified existing economic hardships for families and communities across Butte County, as well as contributed to significant impact on the mental health of residents leading to a high prevalence of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Using data from the CDC’s 2020 Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), Butte County has an overall SVI score of 83 out of a possible 100, which indicates high vulnerability. When focusing on specifics like the Socioeconomic SVI theme, which includes variables such as people who are living 150% below the poverty line, are Unemployed, have Housing Cost Burden, do not have a High School Diploma, and those without health Insurance, the county has an overall score of 75/100, or moderate to high vulnerability. However, like many rural communities, using averaged statistics may hide smaller pockets in communities with even greater unmet needs. For example, Census Tract 30.01 in Southside Oroville, Census Tract 11 in South Chico, and Census Tract 32 in Palermo, have respective SVI socioeconomic scores of 87/100, 90/100, and 93/100, significantly higher economic vulnerability than the Butte County average.