Climate change is expected to cause sea level rise, which could severely impact the California coast. The County of Ventura is encouraging residents to be prepared.
The coastal areas are already vulnerable to storms.
“In the future, the hazards will be exacerbated as the tides increase and get higher and as storms become less frequent and more severe over time. So, we need to plan for both storms today and for sea level rise into the future,” said Aaron Engstrom with the Ventura County Planning Division.
Scientists conducted a study for the unincorporated areas of the County, and they projected sea level rise of eight inches by the year 2030, 16 inches by 2060 and 58 inches by 2100. This may cause small beaches to become inaccessible and public facilities to flood and be seasonally closed.
To help educate the public, workshops are being held on Wednesday. The first is at 2 pm at the Ventura County Hall of Administration in Ventura, and the second is at 6 pm at Ventura County Fire Station 56 in Malibu.