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• People with chronic medical conditions; • Low-income residents that do not have access to proper heating and cooling; and, • The general public who may work or exercise during extreme temperature events. Extreme cold poses health hazards such as wind chill, frostbite, and hypothermia. Power outages are also common during extreme cold events, which are particularly dangerous for those without proper shelter and/or are stranded or trapped in their car. Older buildings and mobile homes are also more vulnerable to extreme cold. Transportation issues are one of the most obvious issues related to extreme cold. Additionally, extreme cold and ice can significantly impact vegetation, in particular, trees and agricultural crops, which can die off or have a substantially decreased yield for farmers. Extreme heat events are expected to increase in Erie County and the Town of Aurora in the coming decades. This poses a particular challenge as the municipalities in the Western New York region are more experienced in handling cold weather events. Most heat-related deaths occur from long exposure to extreme heat with little or no air conditioning. Town of Aurora’s particular vulnerabilities to extreme heat include isolation for the elderly living in rural areas, socioeconomic vulnerability, and urban heat island effects within the Village of East Aurora. Furthermore, extreme heat can have an impact on buildings in terms of increased energy demand for cooling and insufficient capabilities of mobile homes to withstand heat. Utilities can sometimes fail during extreme heat due to intense usage of air conditioning systems. iii. Climate Impact: Water and Soil As mentioned in the sections on extreme storm events and extreme temperatures, the water and soil of Erie County and the Town of Aurora will be heavily affected by climate change. Water and soil are crucial assets to any community because they affect so many other elements of the community, from agriculture to infrastructure. According to the Town of Aurora CSC website, climate change does and will continue to affect water quality in various ways, including: • Flooding: Runoff from pesticides, animal waste, fertilizers, and more could be picked up by water during flooding events. • Algal blooms: Higher surface water temperatures and increased nutrient loading from agricultural runoff may increase algal blooms, which deoxygenate water, produce toxins, and damage other organisms and their habitats, thus taking over entire aquatic ecosystems. • Winter snowpack: The loss of winter snowpack due to premature melting and/or lack of snowfall will reduce groundwater and runoff throughout the spring and summer, resulting in lowering water levels in water bodies during the growing season. • Drought: As supply of water decreases, concentration of contaminants increases. Similarly, soil can and will be affected by climate change as well. • Soil erosion: More frequent extreme weather events will cause soil erosion by causing precipitation levels that cannot be absorbed by the soil quickly. Water flows across the surface and takes a layer of soil with it – this will potentially affect the steep terrains and ravines that make up much of Aurora’s rural area the most. • Soil organic carbon: Loss of soil carbon causes declines in nutrient availability, biological activity, physical structure, water-holding capacity, aeration, and agricultural productivity. 110