Novato seeks input on climate readiness plan, flagging flood, fire and sea-level risks
The city of Novato is crafting new policies and programs that will improve the city’s readiness for the challenges of climate change, and it is asking the public for feedback by Oct. 19.
The risk assessment for Novato identifies several neighborhoods with evacuation constraints, including Hamilton, Ignacio, Bel Marin Keys, Old Town and Pacheco Valley. According to the draft plan, areas most vulnerable to sea level rise include Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys. The Novato Creek corridor, Ignacio and downtown areas are vulnerable to inland flooding; and Indian Valley, Pacheco Valley and hillside neighborhoods could see increased risk of wildfires.
The plan is for the city to maintain climate resilient infrastructure and critical services, as well as update evacuation routes and land use decisions, all through community-based decision-making processes.
The new safety element is part of Novato’s General Plan 2035. The plan and response survey can be accessed from the link.
Ruth Dusseault is an investigative reporter and multimedia journalist focused on environment and energy. Her position is supported by the California local news fellowship, a statewide initiative spearheaded by UC Berkeley aimed at supporting local news platforms. While a student at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism (c’23), Ruth developed stories about the social and environmental circumstances of contaminated watersheds around the Great Lakes, Mississippi River and Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. Her thesis explored rights of nature laws in small rural communities. She is a former assistant professor and artist in residence at Georgia Tech’s School of Architecture, and uses photography, film and digital storytelling to report on the engineered systems that undergird modern life.
More by Ruth Dusseault, Bay City News