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natural disasters. Hazards identified as high-risk in the Town of Aurora include flooding and utility failure. Vulnerabilities include increasing occurrences of severe summer weather (such as thunderstorms and tornado watches) which cause utility failure; extreme winter weather; flooding along Tannery Brook; the school system not participating in federal emergency management guidance; water shortages during hazard events; a lack of adequate backup power for the Buffalo Road and Emery Road temporary emergency housing locations; and frequent flooding events which damage residential properties. B. Erie County Community Climate Action Plan and Climate Vulnerability Assessment (2023) The Erie County Community Climate Action Plan was developed in 2023. The plan aims to serve as a high-level roadmap to help guide and prioritize the County’s climate actions. As part of the Erie County Climate Action Plan, a Climate Vulnerability Assessment was conducted for the entirety of Erie County. The assessment identified the county’s climate threats and hazards and examined the county’s ability to handle the hazards at the county level. For the county, four hazard categories were identified as most high-risk: temperature, particularly extreme heat; precipitation, particularly local and downstream flooding; wind, particularly shifting wind patterns and high thunderstorm winds; and biological threats, particularly invasive species and vector-borne diseases. C. Town of Aurora Climate Smart Community Task Force Website The Town of Aurora’s Climate Smart Community Task Force maintains a very in-depth website providing climate change awareness and education materials, challenges and opportunities being faced by the Town of Aurora regarding climate change, and information on the task force itself, including meeting minutes and CSC certification details. For example, the task force identifies flooding as a critical issue. Challenges relating to flooding include increasing flood occurrences, rising sea levels, the impact of floods on buildings and critical facilities, and more. Opportunities include critical culvert/bridge repairs, protection of the Town’s water resources by the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, and shoreline restoration projects which have been successful. D. NYS ClimAID Report (2011) ClimAID: the Integrated Assessment for Effective Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in New York State was undertaken by the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) in 2011 as a state-level assessment of climate change impacts, specifically designed to assist in the development of adaptation strategies. Topics addressed in the report include water resources, coastal zones, ecosystems, agriculture, energy, transportation, telecommunications, and public health. For Western New York, the report predicts a significant increase in average annual temperatures and precipitation levels up to the 2080s. The greatest threats to the region identified by the report are increased summer drought risk and high-value crops needing increasing irrigation, which aligns with the high agricultural productivity of Western New York. An addendum to this report was published in 2014, wherein new models were utilized to refine climate projections. This update is also referenced in this assessment. III. Identified Climate Hazards and Impacts A. Previously Identified Climate Hazards and Impacts Summary The Town of Aurora Climate Smart Communities Task Force has identified eight environmental spheres that affect the Town, each with challenges and opportunities laid out. These can be separated between 108