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Sea -Level Rise The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the top hotspots for sea -level rise in the nation. Average sea level in the Bay Area has risen 8 inches in the past 100 years, based on the San Francisco tide gauge.25 In 2018, the County of San Mateo finalized a Sea -Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment26 for the County in coordination with cities, agencies, businesses, community groups, and others. Sea -level rise impacts include flooding, increased wave action, rising groundwater tables and saltwater intrusion, increased erosion (i.e., landward shoreline retreat) and changes in sediment supply. The economic value of San Mateo County property at risk from sea -level rise exceeds that of any other county in the Bay Area. The assessed value of parcels in the study area exposed to near-term (present-day) flooding exceeds $1 billion, and the assessed value of parcels exposed to erosion and flooding in the long term (50 to 100 years) totals roughly $39.1 billion. In addition, the built and natural infrastructure meant to protect people and properties from flooding could be lost or severely affected, including more than 7,000 acres of wetlands (over 80 percent of all wetlands assessed) and as much as 24 miles of floodwalls and levees. When population projections are taken into account, San Mateo County is one of six counties with more than 100,000 people in the nation (and the only one on the West Coast) that will be affected by three feet of sea -level rise. The model projects that a flood with a one percent chance of occurring will affect a slightly greater area in 2070 than in 2030. The impacts of flooding will worsen over time and have substantial impacts on public transit infrastructure and therefore, the communities that rely on it. Impacts of Climate Change on Redwood City Impact of Sea -Level Rise and Flooding on People Jk Sea -level rise will have consequences for public health because health facilities will be affected and access to emergency medical services could be impaired. Flood events can lead to physical injury, illness, or disease (e.g., vector-borne diseases such as west Nile virus), and they can also cause loss of income and disruption of employment. Flooding will impact people who rely on public transportation. Of the 1,979 bus stops in the county, 252 bus stops are currently located within the 1 percent flood zone. In 2030, 1,536 of the bus stops located within the county boundaries would be within the 1 percent flood zone, which is a 500 percent increase from present conditions. In 2070, 1,592 of the bus stops located within county boundaries would be within the 1 percent flood zone, which is an increase of about 4 percent from 2030.24 In addition to directly affecting properties, sea -level rise can also have a substantial impact on mobility due to delays in travel times and risks to transportation infrastructure such as electrical transfer stations and EV charging areas. EI Nino events have the potential to exacerbate the effects of sea -level rise by increasing water levels by as much as one foot above normal, and, on average create 30 percent larger winter wave energy. City of Redwood City Climate Action Plan 26