Melissa Higbee, Resilience Program Manager
Office of Resilience and Capital Planning
SFPUC Commission
September 10th, 2024
Hazards and Climate Resilience Plan
2025 Update
Background
¾ Provides a roadmap to improve resilience,
including projects for strategic funding
¾ Makes hazard information more accessible
¾ Developed with extensive department
and stakeholder engagement
¾ Fed: Ensures eligibility for FEMA grants and
Public Assistance
¾ State: Compliance with SB 379 climate
adaptation planning
¾ Local: Companion to Climate Action Plan;
Update to ResilientSF
2 Needs to be
updated and
adopted prior to
July 2025
3 2025 Update Approach
¾ “Right-sized” considering
comprehensive update in 2020
¾ Incorporated new science, risk
assessments, and plans
¾ Interdepartmental Planning Team
¾ Meeting community where they
already are
¾ Action prioritization
4 Themes from Community Engagement
5 Ɠ Energy access and electrification support for low-income residents Ɠ Grid improvements to avoid power outages
Ɠ Battery back up power and microgrids
Energy
Resilience
Ɠ Neighborhood scale planning
Ɠ Unretrofitted soft story buildings (<5 units)
Ɠ Fire-following earthquake and water supplies
Earthquake
Resilience
Ɠ Addressing contaminated sites and sea level rise
Ɠ Protecting and adapting bridges and other transportation routes Ɠ Using nature-based solutions where feasible
Waterfront
Resilience
Ɠ Maintaining state-of-good repair of the public realm, including sidewalks and streets
Ɠ Reliable transit service
Transportation
Ɠ Importance of neighorhood based organizations
Ɠ Supporting the elderly
Ɠ Developing community networks
Neighborhood
Capacity Building
2025 Draft Resilience Objectives
6 (B) BUILDINGS
B-1 Increase the resilience of existing seismically vulnerable buildings.
B-2 Increase climate and multi-hazard resilience of existing buildings.
B-3 Design and construct new bu ildings for high resilience performance for current and future hazards.
(C) COMMUNITIES
C-1 Limit exposure and protect public health against hazards related to environmental health.
C-2 Support the growth of commu nity resilience networks to empower all people.
C-3 Increase the City's capacity to improve resilience through collaboration among peer agencies, the private sector, and community-based organizations
C-4 Support robust emergency response planning in partnership with communities most adversely impacted by hazards.
C-5 Prepare small businesses and workers to bounce back faster after a hazard.
C-6 Make housing more affordable to increase community adaptive capacity.
(IN) INFRASTRUCTURE
IN-1 Increase the resilience of electric power systems
and increase access to resilient backup power.
IN-2 Increase the resilience of critical communications systems.
IN-3 Support sustainable and resilient multi-modal
mobility.
IN-4 Promote, design, and use nature-based solutions to mitigate current and future hazards.
IN-5 Protect waterfront asse ts and communities from
near-term flooding and seismic hazards.
IN-6 Adapt the city’s bay and ocean shorelines to current and future climate flood hazards.
IN-7 Increase the resilience of local water and
wastewater systems to natural hazards and climate
change.
IN-8 Increase resilience of the regional water system to natural hazards and climate change.
= Objective with SFPUC-led action(s)
Draft 2025 Actions with SFPUC as Lead
7 Code Action Title Lead(s)
(IN) INFRASTRUCTURE
IN-1 Increase the resilience of electric power system s and increase access to resilient backup power.
IN-1.1 Enhance energy resilie nce at critical facilities. SFPUC, DPW
IN-1.2 Improve and expand power distribution infrastructure and advanced energy systems to support new development and increase resiliency. SFPUC
IN-5 Protect waterfront assets and communiti es from near-term flooding and seismic hazards.
IN-5.5 Implement the Ocean Beach Climate Adaptation Project, which represents 2 of 6 key moves of the Ocean Beach Master Plan. SFPUC
IN-6 Adapt the city’s bay and oc ean shorelines to current and future climate flood hazards.
IN-6.7 Develop comprehensive assessments of combined flood risks in each watershed. SFPUC
Draft 2025 Actions with SFPUC as Lead
8 Code Action Title Lead(s)
(IN) INFRASTRUCTURE
IN-7 Increase the resilience of local water and wastewater systems to natural hazards and climate change.
IN-7.1 Implement the Pipe Replac ement Prioritization Program. SFPUC IN-7.2 Support the completion and handover of new power, water, wastewater distribution infrastructure at Treasure Island and discontinue the use of the legacy navy systems. TIDA, SFPUC IN-7.3
Complete construction of the Treasure Island Water Resource Recovery Facility to improve water treatment, increase water security, and to connect recycled water to San Francisco’s first neighborhood with a complete green infrastructure system.
SFPUC
IN-7.4 Complete studies and capital projects to improve and expand the Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS). SFPUC
IN-7.6 Pursue data-driven implementation of Green (GI) Infrastructure projects to be able to manage 1 billion gallons of stormwater per year using GI by 2050. SFPUC
IN-8 Increase resilience of the regional water sy stem to natural hazards and climate change.
IN-8.1 Improve Resilience and Sustainability for regional dams and ancillary facilities from flood and earthquake events. SFPUC
IN-8.2 Mitigate wildfire hazards in SFPUC owned-watersheds to protect source water quality and minimize risk to SFPUC water and power infrastructure. SFPUC
IN-8.3 Diversify water supply options year-round by improving the use of new water sources and drought management. SFPUC
IN-8.4 Continue climate adaptation planning for the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. SFPUC Draft 2025 Actions with SFPUC as Lead
9 Code Action Title Lead(s)
(B) BUILDINGS
B-2 Increase climate and multi-ha zard resilience of existing buildings.
B-2.4 Continue to implement Floodwater Management Grant Program to assist residents with floodproofing. SFPUC
B-2.5 Support increased building electrification (fuel switching), mechanical upgrade, and weatherization. SFPUC, SFE
B-3 Design and construct new buildings for high resilience performance for current and future hazards.
B-3.3 Incorporate flood resilience into the San Francisco Building Code. SFPUC (C) COMMUNITIES
C-3 Increase the City's capacity to improve resilience through collaboration among peer agencies, the private sector, and community-based organizations
C-3.5 Develop citywide policy and proposed governance structure for flood resilience. SFPUC
Draft 2025 Actions With SFPUC as Partner
10 Code Action Title Lead(s)
(IN) INFRASTRUCTURE
IN-1.4 Develop a roadmap for disaster resilient EV charging infrastructure ORCP, Fleet IN-3.2 Study, plan, design, and implement improvements to the multimodal transportation system that are vulnerable to coastal flooding. SFMTA
IN-5.1 Implement Embarcadero Early Projects to address areas of highest earthquake and flood risk along the Embarcadero waterfront. Port
IN-5.3 Develop projects and seek funding to implement the Islais Creek Southeast Mobility Adaptation Strategy (ICSMAS).
Port, DPW,
SFMTA
IN-6.2 Advance the Waterfront Resilience Program and San Francisco Waterfront Coastal Flood Study to reduce flooding and seismic risk along the 7.5 miles of Port jurisdiction. Port IN-6.5 Advance the Adaptive Management Strategy from the Treasure Island Infrastructure Plan to ensure continual protection to changing conditions. TIDA
(B) BUILDINGS
B-2.1 Increase resilience and operation efficiency of municipal maintenance yards. DPW B-3.1 Continue to implement the Sea Level Rise Capital Planning Guidance and update as new science is available. ORCP
(C) COMMUNITIES
C-1.3 Investigate and pilot strategies to cool impervious surfaces. SFO, DPW C-1.5 Conduct studies to better understand how sea level rise may interact with contaminated lands and potential health risks. DPH
C-3.1 Coordinate resilience engagement across de partments and projects through ClimateSF. ORCP Next steps
¾ August & September: Draft Plan
available for public comment;
Commission presentations;
Board of Supervisors briefings
¾ October: Final Draft Plan
submitted to CalOES/FEMA
¾ April 2025: Submit to Board of
Supervisors
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