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<br /> <br />Tsunami <br />A Tsunami is a series of traveling ocean waves of extremely long wavelength, usually caused by displacement <br />of the ocean floor and typically generated by seismic or volcanic activity or by underwater landslides. In the <br />past California has been struck by several minor tsunamis and several major tsunamis and San Mateo County <br />specifically has been struck by several minor tsunamis. The populations most vulnerable to the tsunami hazard <br />are the elderly, disabled, and very young who reside or recreate near beaches, low-lying coastal areas, tidal <br />flats, and stream or river deltas that empty into oceangoing waters. Visitors recreating in or around inundation <br />areas would also be vulnerable, as they may not be as familiar with residents or appropriate responses to a <br />tsunami or ways to reach higher ground. <br />Wildfire (& Air Quality) <br />A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire occurring on undeveloped land that requires fire suppression. The potential <br />for significant damage to life and property exists in areas designated as wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas, <br />where development is adjacent to densely vegetated areas. Based on risk factors for the County and past <br />occurrences, it is highly likely that wildfires will continue to occur in San Mateo County. Additional indicators <br />of vulnerability to wildfire include: <br /> Electricity-dependent populations  Workers in the informal economy <br /> People susceptible to health impacts of <br />air pollution <br /> Poor housing quality <br /> Lack of green spaces and vegetation <br /> Industry/hazardous site <br /> <br />Figure 3: Example of overlapping social and wildfire risks in San Mateo County. The image below shows a <br />concentration of very low income (as defined by US HUD for SMC) households in gray within the boundary of <br />the San Gregorio Large Fire Potential Scenario in pink based on SMC Climate Ready modeling. Low income <br />community members could encounter a variety of distinctive challenges in a fire scenario due to lack of funds <br />to address both evacuation and basic needs.