Vulnerability Assessment

Cities and Counties are required by law to conduct vulnerability assessments as part of their long-range public safety planning efforts, and to prepare policies that will protect against harm caused by climate change. SB 379, Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Strategies (2015) requires the safety elements of general plans to be reviewed and updated to include climate adaptation and resiliency strategies.

The vulnerability assessment is a technical study prepared in accordance with state guidelines, particularly the California Adaptation Planning Guide (APG) which identifies how the effects of climate change could be harmful to the people, buildings and infrastructure, ecosystems, economic drivers, and key services. It also identifies the natural hazards climate change may exacerbate, the damage that these hazards may cause to people and community assets, and the ability of people and assets to effectively resist and recover from these hazards.