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Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Study

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Are you concerned about hailstorms, floods, wildfires, and other extreme weather? The City of Lakewood is creating a Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Study to be better prepared for the future.

This study seeks to build from the Jefferson County Hazard Mitigation Plan with a Lakewood-specific climate hazard and vulnerability assessment and analysis, accounting for the anticipated impacts of climate change. It will evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on natural hazards that pose the greatest risks to Lakewood’s residents, infrastructure, and economy, with particular focus on socially vulnerable communities. The project is funded by the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

How to participate:

  1. Click the "Subscribe" button to the right to follow this project and stay informed.
  2. Read more about this project in the "Learn More" tab below.
  3. Respond to the Climate Action Questionnaire in the "Survey" tab below.


December 2024 Project Update:

Throughout the fall, the project team met with a Community Working Group of representatives from organizations who work with and advocate for people who are more susceptible to the impacts of climate change (including older adults, those with mobility issues and other disabilities, people who are unhoused, and those facing challenges with food access) and with Focus Groups of members representing business interests and surrounding municipalities. These amazing partners provided local context for the data collected in earlier phases of the project and helped identify potential actions that we can take as a community to help reduce risks for our most vulnerable members.

Now, we're encouraging residents to share their experiences and concerns, which will help guide the study’s findings and ensure we create strategies that are truly representative of the needs of all members of our community. An online survey is now available to gather your thoughts on the risks and challenges you've experienced due to climate hazards. Your responses will guide the development of potential strategies to protect Lakewood, which will be published in the final report in early 2025.

Go to the survey now and check back soon for additional updates on the study findings!


August 2024 Project Update:

We are almost done creating a model of the climate risks expected to affect Lakewood, and are moving into the next phase of the study! This phase will concentrate on social vulnerability, aiming to help city staff better understand how climate impacts affect underserved or marginalized people in the community and how these impacts intersect with other social vulnerabilities, such as income, age, and health. It is important that the study is rooted in the realities of the Lakewood community and accurately reflects the concerns and needs of its members. Next steps will include:

  • Collection of demographic and community data focused on socially vulnerable groups and neighborhoods in order to better understand the current and anticipated climate risks they face.
  • Formation of a Community Working Group with representatives who work with and/or advocate for members of the community most vulnerable to the local impacts of climate change.
  • A community survey for the general public and other stakeholders to offer insights and lived experiences related to climate impacts and vulnerabilities.

Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities to provide your insights!

Are you concerned about hailstorms, floods, wildfires, and other extreme weather? The City of Lakewood is creating a Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Study to be better prepared for the future.

This study seeks to build from the Jefferson County Hazard Mitigation Plan with a Lakewood-specific climate hazard and vulnerability assessment and analysis, accounting for the anticipated impacts of climate change. It will evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on natural hazards that pose the greatest risks to Lakewood’s residents, infrastructure, and economy, with particular focus on socially vulnerable communities. The project is funded by the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

How to participate:

  1. Click the "Subscribe" button to the right to follow this project and stay informed.
  2. Read more about this project in the "Learn More" tab below.
  3. Respond to the Climate Action Questionnaire in the "Survey" tab below.


December 2024 Project Update:

Throughout the fall, the project team met with a Community Working Group of representatives from organizations who work with and advocate for people who are more susceptible to the impacts of climate change (including older adults, those with mobility issues and other disabilities, people who are unhoused, and those facing challenges with food access) and with Focus Groups of members representing business interests and surrounding municipalities. These amazing partners provided local context for the data collected in earlier phases of the project and helped identify potential actions that we can take as a community to help reduce risks for our most vulnerable members.

Now, we're encouraging residents to share their experiences and concerns, which will help guide the study’s findings and ensure we create strategies that are truly representative of the needs of all members of our community. An online survey is now available to gather your thoughts on the risks and challenges you've experienced due to climate hazards. Your responses will guide the development of potential strategies to protect Lakewood, which will be published in the final report in early 2025.

Go to the survey now and check back soon for additional updates on the study findings!


August 2024 Project Update:

We are almost done creating a model of the climate risks expected to affect Lakewood, and are moving into the next phase of the study! This phase will concentrate on social vulnerability, aiming to help city staff better understand how climate impacts affect underserved or marginalized people in the community and how these impacts intersect with other social vulnerabilities, such as income, age, and health. It is important that the study is rooted in the realities of the Lakewood community and accurately reflects the concerns and needs of its members. Next steps will include:

  • Collection of demographic and community data focused on socially vulnerable groups and neighborhoods in order to better understand the current and anticipated climate risks they face.
  • Formation of a Community Working Group with representatives who work with and/or advocate for members of the community most vulnerable to the local impacts of climate change.
  • A community survey for the general public and other stakeholders to offer insights and lived experiences related to climate impacts and vulnerabilities.

Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities to provide your insights!

  • Frequently Asked Questions

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    What is the “Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Study”?

    • This is a Lakewood-specific assessment and analysis to improve our understanding of the anticipated impacts of climate change and how those will affect our city and our capacity to cope with those anticipated impacts.


    What is the purpose of this project?

    • The 2021 Jefferson County Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) identified areas with high social vulnerability concentrated in the northeast part of Lakewood. To find out why, an implementation strategy was included in the HMP to further explore those social vulnerabilities and how people are being affected by hazards in those areas. This analysis will also model changing climate conditions to find out how the hazards we already experience could be impacted in the future.


    How will the results of the study be used?

    • The study results will be combined into a final Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Report, along with a preliminary overview of mitigation and adaptation strategies that could make the community more resilient. The report will help to inform and prioritize city policy related to hazard mitigation and identify additional areas of study for further exploration. It will inform current and upcoming planning efforts such as the Comprehensive Plan and the next Hazard Mitigation Plan update.


    What climate hazards are most likely to affect Lakewood?

    • In the short-term (until 2040), Lakewood will be most affected by:
      1. Hailstorms
      2. Extreme Heat
      3. Extreme Cold
    • Additional threats are expected to emerge with higher frequency or intensity in the mid-long term (2041-2100):
      1. Flooding
      2. Wildfire
      3. Drought


    What factors result in a higher or lower climate risk?

    • Climate risk results from the interaction of hazard, vulnerability and exposure. It is the combination of having a climate event that can cause damage (hazard), how likely a person, community or organization is to experience that hazard (exposure), and how well-equipped they are to withstand a climate event (vulnerability).
    • Not all locations or assets will experience hazards in the same way or to the same extent.


    What do the climate risks mean for Lakewood?

    • It means that we can see an increase in the risk of having adverse consequences that endanger people, structures, economic activities and natural areas as a result of climate-related events. Some potential examples:
      1. Increase in mortality due to heat waves.
      2. Decrease in water availability for agriculture, human consumption and other activities, due to a drought.
      3. More frequent power outages and disrupted transportation networks and supply chain due to storm or flood events.


    What can we do to reduce climate risks?

    • Our community can work together to build a more resilient city. Resilience is the capacity of a system to cope with change. Resilience may involve responding to hazardous events or proactively reorganizing systems in ways that allow them to maintain their essential function, identity, and structure. For instance, planting trees along streets and installing green roofs can increase the resilience of a building by helping mitigate extreme heat.

  • Project Process

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    The Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Study is a Lakewood-specific assessment and analysis to improve our understanding about the anticipated impacts of climate change and how those will affect our city and our capacity to cope with those anticipated impacts.

    The first phase of the study will focus on climate risks related to known hazards, such as drought, extreme temperatures, floods, hailstorms, and wildfires. The analysis will include the city’s greenhouse gas inventories, modeling impacts based on likely emissions scenarios, and the identification and evaluation of climate risks, particularly in socially vulnerable areas of Lakewood.

    The second phase of the study will focus on social vulnerability, including the collection of demographic data and community engagement focused on socially vulnerable groups and neighborhoods in order to better understand the current and anticipated climate risks that they face. Often, the climate impacts fall disproportionately on the most underserved or marginalized people in a community. The adverse effects of climate change intersect with other social vulnerabilities such as income, age, and health, leaving those with the highest social vulnerability most in danger of short-term and long-lasting impacts. It is important that the potential dangers of climate change and its impacts are fully understood.

    The data collected in both phases will be analyzed and combined into a unified and cohesive Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Report by the end of 2024. In addition to identifying risks and vulnerabilities, this report will include a preliminary overview of potential strategies to mitigate hazards in Lakewood, providing guidance in effective and equitable hazard-mitigation projects. The report will help to inform and prioritize Lakewood's policy related to hazard mitigation and to identify additional areas of study for further exploration. The results will inform climate and sustainability reporting; supplement the city’s current Comprehensive Plan update; and guide future sustainability, climate action, and strategic planning efforts, such as the next Jefferson County Hazard Mitigation Plan (planned for 2025-2026).

Page last updated: 17 Dec 2024, 11:07 AM