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V. Social Vulnerability Assessment Social vulnerability is the culmination of conditions which affect a person’s ability to withstand sensitivity and exposure to the impacts of climate change. Climate conditions affect all residents, but not all residents are affected equally. According to the Los Angeles County Climate Vulnerability Assessment (October 2021), factors that affect susceptibility to climate change conditions include: • Inequities in infrastructure and access, caused by differences in education levels, income and wages, economic opportunities, healthcare, transportation, and other services; • Exclusion from political and decision-making power; • Inequities in environmental and living conditions; and, • Differences in individual health, age, and ability. Socioeconomic factors can create tangible differences in how people become aware of, protect themselves against, and experience the direct and indirect effects of natural disasters, including floods. It is necessary to include underrepresented and marginalized populations who may be at greater risk from climate change impacts because they are the most likely to experience the most devastating effects of a climate hazard, both during and after the hazard event itself. This is not due to an inability to cope or be resilient to impacts on their own, but rather that various factors can make certain populations systematically more susceptible than others. A. Vulnerable Populations The Los Angeles County Climate Vulnerability Assessment utilizes a helpful index for understanding what socioeconomic identifiers might be used to predict a population’s sensitivity to climate hazards. “Sensitivity” is used both in terms of psychological sensitivity, i.e., ability to cope, as well as the ability to prepare for or recover from climate hazards. Age Children, the elderly, older adults living alone Foreign-born, female, female householder, Community and language library access, voter turnout rate, limited English proficiency Outdoor workers (including workers in Occupation agriculture, fishing, mining, extractive or construction occupations), unemployment Education No high school diploma Disability, asthma, cardiovascular disease, no Health health insurance Living in group quarters, mobile homes, cost- Housing burdened, renters Income and wealth Median income, poverty Race/ethnicity Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous Access to information No internet subscription Households without vehicle access or transit Transportation access 121