Item 26 - Updated Hazard Mitigation Plan

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Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2022 Climate Change Hazards - 84 - Q&A | ELEMENT B: HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT | B2a. Q: Does the plan include information on previous occurrences of hazard events for each jurisdiction? (Requirement §201.6(c)(2)(i)) A: See Previous Occurrences of Climate Change in the City below. Previous Occurrences of Climate Change in the City The City has expereinced gradual Climate Change, with warmer temperatures increasing over the past century. According to California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment (2018), observations over the past century indicate that temperature has increased across southern California. Based on 1896-2015 temperature records for the California South Coast NOAA Climate Division, which encompasses the LA region (which includes Orange County), researchers found significant trends in annual average, maximum, and minimum temperature around 0.16°C per decade. Every month has experienced significant positive trends in monthly average, maximum, and minimum temperature. Monthly average and minimum temperatures have increased the most in September and monthly maximum temperatures have increased the most in January, with each trend exceeding 0.2°C per decade. Recently, the California South Coast Climate Division has experienced sustained record warmth. The top 5 warmest years in terms of annual average temperature have all occurred since 2012: 2014 was the warmest, followed by 2015, 2017, 2016, and 2012. Q&A | ELEMENT B: HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT | B1a. Q: Does the plan include a general description of all natural hazards that can affect each jurisdiction? (Requirement §201.6(c)(2)(i)) A: See Local Conditions below. Q&A | ELEMENT B: HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT | B3b. Q: Is there a description of each identified hazard’s overall vulnerability (structures, systems, populations, or other community assets defined by the community that are identified as being susceptible to damage and loss from hazard events) for each jurisdiction? (Requirement §201.6(c)(2)(ii)) A: See Local Conditions below. Local Conditions (Sub-Hazards): Extreme Heat, Drought In recognition of the priorities mentioned above, the Planning Team identified drought and extreme heat as “sub-hazards” of climate change. As such, hazard profiles have been prepared for each and hazard mitigation action items included in the Mitigation Strategy. Extreme Heat According to the Vulnerability Assessment Report of the General Plan (2020), extreme heat occurs when temperatures rise significantly above normal levels. In Santa Ana, an extreme heat day occurs when temperatures reach above 96.3 degrees Fahrenheit. As shown in the Figure below, the projected number of extreme heat days in Santa Ana is projected to increase to an