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P a g e | 10 “Hazard” is an event or physical condition that has the potential to cause fatalities, injuries, property damage, infrastructure damage, agricultural losses, damage to the environment, interruption of business, or other types of harm or loss (Cal OES 2018). “Risk” is the potential for damage or loss created by the interaction of hazards with assets such as buildings, infrastructure, or natural and cultural resources (Cal OES 2018). “Vulnerability” is the level of exposure of human life and property to damage from natural and human- made hazards. For buildings and other structures, “vulnerability” means susceptibility to damage given the inherent characteristics of a particular structure (Cal OES 2018). PART 3: Integrating Social Vulnerability into Hazards Analysis and Considerations for Mitigation Planning It is important to understand which individuals, populations, and communities will be most impacted by a hazard in order to reduce risk and create equitable outcomes. The following section discusses the hazards that have the potential to affect San Mateo County and indicators of social vulnerability specific to each hazard. The hazards currently addressed in the 2016 San Mateo County LHMP include Climate Change, Dam Failure, Drought, Earthquakes, Flood, Landslide, Severe Weather, Tsunami, Wildfire, and several Human-Caused Hazards. The 2021 San Mateo County LHMP will likely also include Health and Pandemics as well as Heat under the Extreme Weather hazard category. Tetra Tech, the consultant providing support with the SMC MJLHMP update, has developed a detailed approach for integrating social vulnerability data into the hazard analysis, as explained in detail on Appendix A. San Mateo County planning partners are encouraged to choose this enhanced protocol for risk ranking that integrates social vulnerability data (Appendix A), which will also screen each mitigation action they identify for equity considerations. This approach was successfully utilized on the City of Portland’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. 3.1 Vulnerability Indicators Applicable to All Hazards:  Income: Low income populations are often more exposed to nature disasters (Bousta et al. 2017) and have fewer financial resources to prepare and recover from disasters. Low-income neighborhoods also have compounding challenges such as higher impact of COVID (essential workers and density), historic underinvestment in infrastructure, zoning which allows or has allowed greater air, water and soil pollution or hazardous waste, greater likelihood of being in a flood zone, and a greater likelihood of being exposed to greater heat impacts (mid to South County).  Race and Ethnicity: According to a literature review in the Journal Disasters (Fothergill et. al, 1999) “...racial and ethnic communities in the US are more vulnerable to natural disasters, due to factors such as language, housing patterns, building construction, community isolation and cultural insensitivities.”  Children and youth: Youth are dependent on adults for many things and tend to be highly dependent on their phones.  Older adults: Older adults may depend on paratransit and need electricity for medications and health devices. DEFINITIONS