Early warning systems (EWS) are central to disaster risk reduction. However, the factors associated with household preparedness following warning information remain poorly understood in fragile and resource-constrained settings. This study examined factors associated with reported preparedness among 390 rural households in selected communities across four regions of Somaliland using a cross-sectional survey, bivariate tests, and multivariable logistic regression. Overall, 36.7% of households reported taking preparedness action. In the adjusted analysis, perceived warning timeliness and institutional trust were inversely associated with the reported preparedness. Households perceiving warnings as very timely had lower odds of reporting preparedness action than those perceiving warnings as not timely (OR = 0.074, p < 0.001). In contrast, households that reported trust in early warning information had lower odds than those who reported no trust (OR = 0.128, p < 0.001). Medium unmet preparedness resource needs were positively associated with reported action relative to low unmet need (OR = 2.718, p = 0.014), as was respondent age ≥55 years relative to 18–34 years (OR = 2.588, p = 0.043). Given the cross-sectional design and potential intra-cluster correlation not accounted for in the regression variance estimates, these associations should be interpreted with caution and not as causal relationships. The mechanisms underlying the inverse associations with warning timeliness and institutional trust were not directly measured and warrant further investigation. The findings suggest that communication-focused EWS approaches may benefit from being complemented by measures that address household preparedness resource needs and support feasible protective action.