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3. Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment <br />Landslides and mudslides can move fast enough to damage or destroy homes or other <br />structures in their path, block roadways (including evacuation routes), and injure or kill <br />people caught in them. The most vulnerable populations are those that may be unable to <br />evacuate due to limited mobility, lack of access to a vehicle, or language barriers that <br />may prevent awareness of emergency notifications. Those living on single -access <br />roadways in the hilly portion of the City or those living in less resilient housing may lose <br />access to their homes if roadways or the structures are damaged or destroyed by a <br />landslide. Infrastructure, such as natural gas pipelines and water or wastewater <br />infrastructure, can break or malfunction if the soil supporting them fails. This can lead to <br />disruptions in energy delivery and water or wastewater services. <br />Sea -Level Rise <br />As global temperatures rise, glaciers and other land ice near the north and south poles <br />melt. The water flows into the ocean, increasing sea levels across the globe. Higher <br />temperatures also cause water to expand in oceans, causing further rising of sea levels. <br />SLR is a gradual process, taking place over years or decades. In California, guidance <br />suggests that sea levels will increase by 6 to 10 inches in most places by 2030, 13 to 23 <br />inches by 2050, and 41 to 83 inches by 2100.44 However, it is possible that sea levels could <br />rise faster than these projections.45 Along San Leandro's bay shoreline, sea levels are <br />projected to rise approximately 24 inches by 2050 and as much as 84 inches by 210046 <br />Rising sea levels can increase the frequency and severity of bay shoreline flooding. Since <br />SLR raises ocean levels, shoreline floods, such as king tides and storm surges, can reach <br />further onto land. For example, a storm that has a 1 in 10 chance of occurring in a given <br />year (known as a 10-year storm), can create a temporary increase in sea levels of <br />approximately 28 to 30 inches. This means that if sea levels rise by 24 inches during normal <br />conditions, a 10-year storm event would create a temporary SLR of around 52 inches.47 <br />Bayshore flooding zones in 2050 and 2100 are shown ebeve in Figure 9. Higher sea levells <br />can also give a "boost" to smaller floods that would not have been large enough to flood <br />dry land during normal conditions, making shoreline flooding more frequent. <br />Eventually, sea level may increase enough to permanently flood low-lying areas in the <br />eastern portion of San Leandro along the bayshore. Homes within the Mulford Gardens, <br />Marina Faire, and Heron Bay neighborhoods are within the SLR inundation area. 48 SLR can <br />increase residential flooding in these neighborhoods, causing mold and mildew to grow. <br />Eventually, homes in these neighborhoods may become uninhabitable. Homes and <br />structures built above sea level can still be harmed if the higher levels of water erode the <br />rock or soil supporting the structures, potentially making them unsafe or at risk of collapse. <br />San Leandro 2021 Climate Action Plan Page 55 <br />