The VCP’s Climate Vulnerability map uses a combination of social data such as income, race, outdoor workers, mobile homes, etc., along with climate data for each climate hazard such as burn probability, historical burns, etc. for wildfires. The data comes from a variety of different sources. The social data draws heavily from the U.S. Census as well as the CDC Places database. The climate data draws from CalAdapt in addition to sector specific sources from state agencies.

James P. Kupihea Jr., Ph.D. – Loss Avoidance Research Specialist, CA Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Hazard Mitigation Assistance Branch

We plan to pilot the VCP in communities throughout California to raise awareness, encourage use, and collect feedback for improvement. We will develop a curriculum on using the VCP to create community climate vulnerability assessments and select a cohort of CBO and local government representatives for training. Ultimately, cohort members will collaborate with their communities to co-create the assessments, and the process, results, and insights will be compiled into case studies and a user guide for future VCP users. We plan to begin recruitment for the pilot in July 2025.

To indicate interest in the pilot and be notified when the application is available, please fill out this form.

CalOES Hazard Mitigation

Both Community Disaster Resilience Zones (CDRZ) and the National Risk Index (NRI) are constantly being evaluated, and methodological revisions are being developed and implemented based on new findings and updated data sources.

Michael Commons – Data Ambassador, Data Analytics Branch Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region 9

Community Disaster Resilience Zone (CDRZ) designations are at the Census Tract level, in adherence to P.L. 117-255 (Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022). Designations can be made for multiple continuous Census Tracts, or one single Census Tract. Note that CDRZ designations are distributed across three types of jurisdictions – States, Territories, and Tribes. For the latter – Tribes – the type of Census Tract can be either a “typical” State-County Tract or it can be a Tribal Tract (both maintained and served by the US Census Bureau).

Michael Commons – Data Ambassador, Data Analytics Branch Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region 9 

Public Law 117-255 (Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022) does not require the specific use of CEJST but does require that social vulnerability and community resilience are considered in the prioritization of CDRZ designations. An alternative index or collection of metrics could be considered in future methodologies for CDRZ designations, but none are specifically being proposed at this time.

CalOES Hazard Mitigation

The tools in this session work together by making accessible natural hazards and climate change scenarios that can be considered in decision making when assessing how to integrate hazard mitigation and climate adaptation strategies into policies and geographically where they apply.

Margot McDonald – Professor of Architecture, Faculty Fellow WUI Fire Institute – Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

The CA Flood Future map books can be shared in pdf format by emailing me: michael.mierzwa@water.ca.gov.

Mike Mierzwa – Technical Policy Advisor Flood Management, California Department of Water Resources Division of Flood Operations

This is a real challenge, and the point of establishing community-based insurance pilots. If the State is working with these communities, we can document their challenges. One idea is to build a larger private sector demand for providing insurance, which will be followed with more experts in administration of these policies … who in turn could help with some of these issues.

Deborah Halberstadt – Special Advisor to the Commissioner on Biodiversity and Inclusive Insurance, California Department of Insurance 

The cost of insurance changes from property to property, but some property owners had policies around $2,000 / year.

Deborah Halberstadt – Special Advisor to the Commissioner on Biodiversity and Inclusive Insurance, California Department of Insurance 

To the insurer (bank that offered the insurance).

Deborah Halberstadt – Special Advisor to the Commissioner on Biodiversity and Inclusive Insurance, California Department of Insurance