San Francisco and the Bay Area face a 62 percent chance of a large earthquake in the next 30 years. To prepare, San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management (DEM) reviewed its disaster preparedness and recovery strategies. Rob Dudgeon, Deputy Director of DEM, realized that his agency needed to communicate with the public in a new way. This case study tells the story of how DEM worked with IDEO, a design and innovation consultancy, to develop a new preparedness platform called SF72. The website SF72.org, as well as outreach programs including presentations and in-person meetings, helped create a new culture of “positive preparedness” for residents, organizations, and businesses.