WEST VIRGINIA SOME ACTIONS ALREADY TAKEN WEAKNESSES • West Virginia’s Standard Hazard Mitigation Plan, technical assistance programs, disaster response plans, emergency communications materials, and sector-specific programs are helping the state address current risks across sectors. • The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources published a project report titled; Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of Species of Concern in West Virginia, which outlines temperature and precipitation projections for the state through the year 2050. • West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection monitors water quality throughout the state through its Continuous Water Quality Monitoring Program and Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Network. • No evidence of detailed statewide climate change vulnerability assessments across the sectors examined. • No evidence of detailed statewide climate change adaptation plans across the sectors examined. • No evidence of official state funding, policies, or guidelines to improve resilience to climate change-related extreme heat or inland flooding. • No evidence of action to incorporate climate change projections associated with extreme heat or inland flooding into state-level programs, investments, and activities. • No evidence of public outreach about climate change-related risks. Implementing Resilience Actions Addressing Current Risks Conducting Vulnerability Assessments Planning for Adaptation Extensive Strong Limited Fair None ACTION TAKEN: Extreme Heat Drought Wildfire Inland Flooding Coastal Flooding EXTREME HEAT: DROUGHT: WILDFIRE: INLAND FLOODING: COASTAL FLOODING: OVERALL: C C — — D+ — A B C D F OVERALL GRADE: C West Virginia faces considerable and significantly increasing threat levels from extreme heat and inland flooding. West Virginia scores an overall grade of C on the Report Card, with grades of a D+ for inland flooding and a C for extreme heat. The grades are relative to other states, and relative to the magnitude of the climate threats themselves. West Virginia has taken strong action to address its current risks from inland flooding and extreme heat with its Standard Hazard Mitigation Plan, Emergency Operations Plan, and sector-level emergency response and mitigation programs. However, the state has taken almost no action to develop and implement programs to address its future climate risks. For example, West Virginia has not assessed how its vulnerabilities could change under future climates, nor has it created a climate change adaptation plan to address them.
Transcript
WEST VIRGINIA
SOME ACTIONS ALREADY TAKEN
WEAKNESSES
• West Virginia’s Standard Hazard Mitigation Plan, technical assistance programs, disaster response plans, emergency communications materials, and sector-specific programs are helping the state address current risks across sectors.
• The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources published a project report titled; Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of Species of Concern in West Virginia, which outlines temperature and precipitation projections for the state through the year 2050.
• West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection monitors water quality throughout the state through its Continuous Water Quality Monitoring Program and Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Network.
• No evidence of detailed statewide climate change vulnerability assessments across the sectors examined.
• No evidence of detailed statewide climate change adaptation plans across the sectors examined.
• No evidence of official state funding, policies, or guidelines to improve resilience to climate change-related extreme heat or inland flooding.
• No evidence of action to incorporate climate change projections associated with extreme heat or inland flooding into state-level programs, investments, and activities.
• No evidence of public outreach about climate change-related risks.
Implementing Resilience Actions
Addressing Current Risks
Conducting VulnerabilityAssessments
Planning for Adaptation
Extensive
Strong
Limited
Fair
None
ACTION TAKEN:
Extreme Heat
Drought
Wildfire
Inland Flooding
Coastal Flooding
EXTREME HEAT:
DROUGHT:
WILDFIRE:
INLAND FLOODING:
COASTAL FLOODING:
OVERALL: CC
—
—
D+
—
ABCDF
OVERALL GRADE:
CWest Virginia faces considerable and significantly increasing threat levels from extreme heat and inland flooding. West Virginia scores an overall grade of C on the Report Card, with grades of a D+ for inland flooding and a C for extreme heat. The grades are relative to other states, and relative to the magnitude of the climate threats themselves. West Virginia has taken strong action to address its current risks from inland flooding and extreme heat with its Standard Hazard Mitigation Plan, Emergency Operations Plan, and sector-level emergency response and mitigation programs. However, the state has taken almost no action to develop and implement programs to address its future climate risks. For example, West Virginia has not assessed how its vulnerabilities could change under future climates, nor has it created a climate change adaptation plan to address them.
012345 million
OVERALL:
DROUGHT:
WILDFIRE:
INLAND FLOODING:
EXTREME HEAT:
COASTAL FLOODING:
EXTREME HEAT: CC
—
—
D+
—
C
KEY FINDINGS:
Lowest Highest
AVERAGE
THREAT LEVEL:
0% 100%
AVERAGE
PREPAREDNESS LEVEL:
The preparedness grade represents how well a state is preparing for its threat level, relative to all states evaluated for that threat. It compares a state’s position in the distribution of threat levels to its position in the distribution of preparedness scores. Thus two states with the same absolute preparedness score might receive different grades, depending on their levels of threat—a state with a higher threat level would receive a lower grade. For details, see the methodology.
West Virginia earns a C for extreme heat for its average level of preparedness in the face of an average overall extreme heat threat. Currently, West Virginia faces an average threat level and is ranked in the bottom 10 of the lower 48 states. Like the majority of states, West Virginia has taken strong action to address current extreme heat risks, with both state- and sector-level programs. By 2050, West Virginia is projected to have an above average percent increase in its threat level, but it has taken almost no action to address its future climate risks. While the state’s Division of Natural Resources has developed a statewide vulnerability assessment for ecosystems that includes the impacts of warming, the study does not cover other sectors within the state. West Virginia could do more by incorporating other sectors into a statewide climate change vulnerability assessment and using it to develop adaptation measures.
ABCDF
WEST VIRGINIA COMPARED TO OTHER STATES:
EXTREME HEAT THREAT DID YOU KNOW?Extreme Heat Threat to Vulnerable Populations†
Rank(among states) 24th 20th
† Average number of heat wave days per year times total vulnerable popula-tion. A score of 1 represents 1 vulnerable person exposed to 1 heat wave day.
17th
• Currently, West Virginia averages fewer than 5 days each year classified as dangerous or extremely dangerous according to the NWS Heat Index. By 2050, West Virginia is projected to experience nearly 20 such days each year.
• By 2050, the typical number of heat wave days in West Virginia is projected to increase from more than 10 a year to more than 65 days a year, one of the top 10 greatest increases among the lower 48 states.
• West Virginia has nearly 60,000 people 65 and older, or under 5 years old, living below the poverty line, which is below average among the lower 48 states. These groups are considered to be especially vulnerable to extreme heat.
Average annual number of heat wave days: Average number of days each year on which the maximum temperature exceeds the 95th percentile of daily maximum temperature in the baseline period (1991-2010) for at least three consecutive days.
WEST VIRGINIA
2000 2030 2050
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n/a
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EXTREME HEAT:EXAMPLE CRITERIA
CA subset of the criteria used to develop West Virginia’s extreme heat preparedness grade.
Tran
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Wat
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Health
Com
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Does the State Hazard Mitigation Plan cover extreme heat?
Does the state have an extreme heat emergency response plan that is updated routinely?
Does the state provide extreme heat emergency communication materials for citizens?
Has the state published information on how the frequency or severity of extreme heat events may change in the future?
Has the state conducted extreme heat vulnerability assessments for each sector?
Is the state tracking extreme heat impacts?
Is there a statewide climate change adaptation plan covering extreme heat?
Is there a statewide implementation plan for climate change adaptation?
Does the state have sector-specific extreme heat adaptation plans?
Are there optional state guidelines for resilient activities (e.g., construction)?
Are there state requirements for resilient activities (e.g., construction)?
Is there evidence that the state is implementing extreme heat adaptation policy/guidelines?
ADDRESSING CURRENT RISKS
IMPLEMENTING RESILIENCE ACTIONS
PLANNING FOR ADAPTATION
CONDUCTING VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS
“n/a” indicates that the sector is either insensitive to the threat or the state does not have a significant role.
WEST VIRGINIA
OVERALL:
DROUGHT:
WILDFIRE:
INLAND FLOODING:
COASTAL FLOODING:
EXTREME HEAT: C
C
—
—
D+—
WEST VIRGINIA
INLAND FLOODING: D+
Lowest Highest
AVERAGE
THREAT LEVEL:
0% 100%
BELOW AVERAGE
PREPAREDNESS LEVEL:
The preparedness grade represents how well a state is preparing for its threat level, relative to all states evaluated for that threat. It compares a state’s position in the distribution of threat levels to its position in the distribution of preparedness scores. Thus two states with the same absolute preparedness score might receive different grades, depending on their levels of threat—a state with a higher threat level would receive a lower grade. For details, see the methodology.
West Virginia earns a D+ for its below average level of preparedness in the face of an average overall inland flooding threat. Currently, the state faces an average threat among the 32 states assessed for inland flooding, and like many states, it has taken strong action to address its current risks through state- and sector-level programs. However, the state has taken no action (less than the majority of states) to plan for its future inland flood risks or implement adaptation strategies. While the state’s Division of Natural Resources has developed a statewide vulnerability assessment for ecosystems that discusses future precipitation changes, the study does not outline impacts to other sectors within the state. West Virginia could do more to address its future inland flooding risks by incorporating other sectors into a statewide climate change vulnerability assessment and using it to develop adaptation measures.
ABCDF
WEST VIRGINIA COMPARED TO OTHER STATES:
KEY FINDINGS:
01020304050
INLAND FLOODING THREATInland Flooding Threat Weighted by Vulnerable Populations (Index)
Rank(among states) 9th 9th
Average annual severity of high flow events weighted by total vulner-able population and vulnerable population as a percentage of state population.
11th
• More than 150,000 people in West Virginia’s population are living in flood prone areas (defined as FEMA’s 100-year floodplain). This represents only 8.2 percent of West Virginia’s population, which is far above average among the 32 states assessed for inland flooding threats.
• The severity of West Virginia’s high runoff events, weighted by vulnerable population, is currently average, but ranks among the top 10 among the 32 states.
• By 2050, West Virginia’s inland flooding threat is projected to increase by 20 percent (assuming the size of the vulnerable population stays the same). This is below average, and West Virginia is projected to drop out of the top 10 most affected states.
DID YOU KNOW?
Average annual severity of high flow events: Sum of runoff volume per year that exceeds the 95th percentile of daily total runoff in the baseline (1991-2010) period.
2000 2030 2050
WEST VIRGINIA
INLAND FLOODING: D+EXAMPLE CRITERIAA subset of the criteria used to develop West Virginia’s inland flooding preparedness grade.
“n/a” indicates that the sector is either insensitive to the threat or the state does not have a significant role.
NO
NO
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NO
NO
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n/a
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
Tran
spor
tatio
n
Ener
gy
Wat
er
Health
Com
mun
ities
Does the State Hazard Mitigation Plan cover inland flooding?
Does the state have an inland flooding emergency response plan that is updated routinely?
Does the state provide inland flooding emergency communication materials for citizens?
Has the state published information on how the frequency or severity of inland flooding may change in the future?
Has the state conducted inland flooding vulnerability assessments for each sector?
Is the state tracking inland flooding impacts?
Is there a statewide climate change adaptation plan covering inland flooding?
Is there a statewide implementation plan for climate change adaptation?
Does the state have sector-specific inland flooding adaptation plans?
Are there optional state guidelines for resilient activities (e.g., construction)?
Are there state requirements for resilient activities (e.g., construction)?
Is there evidence that the state is implementing inland flooding adaptation policy/guidelines?
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