Extreme Heat

The effects of climate change will lead to rising temperatures and more frequent high heat days in Oakland. Extreme heat can cause heat exhaustion, trigger asthma attacks, and lead to other heat-related illnesses. It will also result in higher electricity costs and will negatively affect air quality.

What you can do now

Build an Emergency Kit

Weatherize Your Home

• Caulk around windows
• Weather strip doors and window sills
• Insulate and install window air conditioners

Plan With Others

Make a plan to call family, friends, and neighbors, especially those who are elderly or have disabilities.

Medical Bracelets

Wear a medical bracelet that lists the medications that you take and communicates other important information to first-responders in an emergency

What To Do When It Happens

• Stay indoors as much as possible and stay out of the sun
• Stay on the lowest floor if air conditioning is not available
• Drink plenty of water and eat light meals
• Check in on family and friends
• Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles
• Listen to news reports on radio and television
• In case of heat exhaustion
  • Move to a cooler location
  • Apply wet, cool clothes to the skin
  • Consume water slowly
  • If vomiting occurs, seek immediate medical attention

Flooding

The effects of climate change will increase the risk of flooding in Oakland, especially in West Oakland, Chinatown, San Antonio, Fruitvale, Central East Oakland, and Elmhurst. Floods are the most common natural disasters and can happen within minutes. In addition to causing property damage and loss, flooding can also worsen the spread of communicable diseases.

What you can do now to prepare

Check Flood Maps

Check if your home or workplace is in a floodplain or an area that is in low-lying ground and may be subject to flooding.

Make Emergency Plans

• Make an emergency plan, including what to prepare for evacuation.
• Make a plan to call family, friends, and neighbors, especially those who are elderly or have disabilities.
• Wear a medical bracelet listing the medications that you take and communicate other important information to first-responders in an emergency.
• Identify a consistent place to store your medications and maintain a month’s supply
• Know how to unplug and transport medical equipment that you need, such as dialysis machines.

Flood Insurance

Purchase flood insurance for renters or home owners.

What To Do When It Happens

• Know your terminology. Flood Watch vs. Flood Warning
  • WATCH = Flood is possible
  • WARNING = Flood is occurring
• Listen to the radio and television.
• Be prepared to evacuate.
• Turn off gas, electricity, and water, and disconnect appliances.
• When a flood or flash flood warning is issued, head for higher ground and take only essential items with you.
• Do not walk in moving water or drive in floodwater.
• Stay away from downed power lines – electricity can travel through water.
• Avoid roads where floodwater was once present.
• Return home only when authorities say it is safe
• Check on family and friends.
• Clean, disinfect, and dry items touched by floodwaters to prevent waterborne disease and mold.
• Avoid eating produce that is being grown in backyards, community gardens, or urban farms after a flood in a historically contaminated area. After any flooding of gardens or farms take appropriate precautions.

Water Efficiency

The effects of climate change will affect the availability of water for Oakland residents. Climate change will affect how much water is available, when it is available, and how much of it is needed and used.  This may lead to water shortages because of more frequent droughts. Such droughts will require us to be more efficient in our use of water to ensure that there is enough for everyone.

What You Can Do Now

Turn Off The Tap

Turn off the faucet while shaving, brushing your teeth, and combing your hair in the shower.

Check For and Repair Leaks

Efficient Appliances

Install water-efficient appliances such as an efficient showerhead, faucet aerator, or a new toilet.

Water Efficient Landscaping

• Replace part or all of your lawn with native plants and other plants that don’t require a lot of water.
• Install a rainwater barrel to collect water for your garden.

Wildfire Risk

As temperatures rise and precipitation patterns change, the effects of climate change will increase the risk of wildfires. Smoke and soot from wildfires will affect air quality, directly harming the health of Oakland residents.

What You Can Do Now

Evacuation Plan

Create an evacuation plan that includes a meeting area, escape routes, and a point of contact. Check with rental management for fire drill exercises and escape route plans.

Smoke Detectors

Install smoke detectors and have fire extinguishers on hand. Train your family on how to use them properly.

Utility Shut Offs

Show your family where the gas, electric, and water main shut-off controls are located and how to turn them off.

Put Together An Emergency Kit

Purchase Home or Renter’s Insurance

Defensible Space

Plant native, fire-resistant, and drought-tolerant plants. Remove dead plants and weeds.

Clear gutters of leaves and debris

Remove Fire-hazardous Trees

Building Materials

Use flame-retardant building materials. Class A materials, such as brick, tile, clay, and metal, have the highest resistance to fire.

What To Do When It Happens

Listen to the Radio

Listen to the radio and stay indoors and close windows and doors. Officials will announce specific locations to evacuate and escape routes to use.

Protect Yourself

Immediately during a fire, cover up to protect against heat and flying embers. Wear long pants, a long sleeve shirt, heavy shoes/boots, a cap, cover your face, and use goggles or glasses. Wearing 100% cotton is preferable to other materials.

Locate Pets

Locate pets and take them with you, if you can.

What You Can Do Now

Grow Your Own Garden

Community Gardens

Grow your own fruits and vegetables on your porch, in your own garden, or in a nearby community garden. Or grow them with others in a nearby park with edible trees or edible landscaping. Or grow them on a local urban farm.

Environmentally-friendly Agriculture
When growing your own food, use environmentally-friendly agriculture management. This includes using alternatives to chemical pesticides. This also includes cultivating healthy soil, using compost and other organic growing techniques.

Water Conservation
When growing your own food, conserve water.

Participate In Crop Swaps

CSA Boxes

Support a local farm through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box, through weekly- or bi-weekly delivery or pick up.

Buy Directly From Farmers

Buy directly from farmers at a local farmers’ market or produce stand.

Avoid Produce From Recent Flood Areas

Avoid eating produce that is being grown in backyards,community gardens, or urban farms after a flood in a historically contaminated area. After any flooding of gardens or farms take appropriate precautions.

Take a Cooking Class

Cooking classes for healthy, local foods

 

Rising Electricity Costs and Shortages

Climate change will have many impacts on our electricity system. Some will be because of increased demand for electricity for air conditioning during hot spells. Others will be because of supply shortages due to water shortages, higher water temperatures, and fires that destroy transmission lines. All these will drive up the cost of electricity and increase the frequency of power outages.

What You Can Do Now

Lighting

• Replace your old light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs that use ¼ of the energy and last longer.
• Use the sun! Take advantage of natural sunlight to reduce energy costs.

Power Plugs

Turn off or unplug appliances, including phone chargers, when they’re not being used.

Washing

• Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes.

• Use cold water only.

• Air dry your clothes or use a portable laundry rack to dry your clothes, if you can.

Home Cooling

Use white shades and curtains to block the sun from heating up your home.

Home Heating

Reduce your thermostat at night or when you are not home.

Weatherization

Weatherize your home by applying weather stripping to doors and windowsills, and insulating and installing window air conditioners.

Energy Efficient Appliances

Choose energy efficient appliances when you much purchase new ones. California offers rebates and tax credits for many energy efficient appliances.

Traffic Congestion

Most of the emissions that Oakland residents generate that contribute to climate change are a result of the amount of driving that we do.

What You Can Do Now

Public Transportation

Take the bus or BART whenever possible

Walk or Cycle

Walk or ride a bike along Oakland’s 235 miles of bike paths.

Bike to Work

If possible, bike to work. Utilize the bike racks and other spaces to transport bicycles that are available on most public transportation.

Electric Bikes

Consider getting an electric battery conversion kit for your bicycle if you have mobility issues or are looking for an alternative to a car for long or hilly commutes.

Carpool

Carpool with co-workers, friends, and neighbors once or more a week.

Car Sharing

Use a car share program instead of buying your own vehicle, if you can

Driving Habits

• Combine trips to reduce your total miles driven, if you can
• Drive more slowly on the freeway, accelerate and decelerate more gradually, and inflate your tires to the proper level to reduce your fuel consumption
• Get a more fuel-efficient or electric vehicle next time you buy or rent a car, if you can
• Consider moving closer to transit or closer to your school or workplace, if you can
• Create a car-free day in your household or commute to work by bus, bicycle, carpool or walking one day a week, if you can
• Familiarize yourself with evacuation routes that have been used during emergencies in your neighborhood
• Use paratransit if you are prevented from using buses or BART due to a disability

Air Quality

The effects of climate change will worsen air quality, harming the health of Oakland residents. Higher levels of pollution combined with rising temperatures can aggravate respiratory conditions, like allergies, asthma and lung cancer.

What You Can Do Now

Air Quality

Check air quality levels to reduce your exposure to pollution on days spent outdoors.

Spare The Air Days

On Spare the Air days, do errands before 10 am, if you can. On those days, try not to exercise outdoors, if possible and make sure to have any needed medication readily available if you have respiratory problems.

Indoor Air Quality

Protect air quality inside your home by not using conventional dryer sheets, fabric softener, air fresheners, household cleaning chemicals, scented candles, paraffin candles and incense. This is especially important if you have a compromised immune system or respiratory problems.

Don’t Use Pesticides

Protect air quality by not using chemical pesticides. This is especially important if you have a compromised immune system or respiratory problems. Instead, use environmentally-safe methods of pest control.

 

The effects of climate change will place a heavier burden on the public infrastructure in our neighborhoods–from storm drains and sewers to electricity lines and street trees. Poorly maintained public infrastructure contributes to neighborhood blight and increases the risk of being affected by flooding, wildfires, and other climate change impacts. Housing and commercial developments that are being planned and built today will determine livability and sustainability of our communities in the future.

What You Can Do Now

Monitor Your Neighborhood

• Keep track of new developments proposed in and near your neighborhood.
• Attend Planning Commission meetings to hear more details about a proposed development.

Affordable Housing

Seek assistance for understanding your rights to a safe and affordable living space and community.

Keep Gutters Clear

During the winter, request sandbags to place near street gutters near your home to keep falling leaves and other debris from clogging the gutters

Report Issues

Report clogged storm drains, creek flooding, overgrown vegetation, or street tree limbs interfering with power lines in your neighborhood

Report poorly maintained streets, potholes, and broken curbs

Get Involved in Planning

Attend Public Works Commission meetings to hear more details about proposed infrastructure improvements.

Oakland Community Climate Action Guide

December 2014

Authors
Catalina Garzón, Community Research and Education in Action for True Empowerment
Misha Hutchings, Pacific Institute*
Ariana de Leña, Pacific Institute*
Kris Ongoco, Pacific Institute*

Project Advisors, Oakland Climate Action Coalition
Brian Beveridge, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project
Jack Lucero Fleck, Bay Area 350
Margaret Gordon, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project
Alice Kostin, Kehilla Community Synagogue’s Greening Committee
Nile Malloy, Communities for a Better Environment*
Colin Miller, Bay Localize
Jill Ratner, New Voices Are Rising/Rose Foundation
Corrine Van Hook, Bay Localize
Al Weinrub, Local Clean Energy Alliance

Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the San Francisco Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation and the Local Sustainability Matching Fund (now Partners for Places) for providing grant support to the Oakland Climate Action Coalition (OCAC) that made this climate action guide possible.  Part of the research and writing for this guide was conducted under a subcontract with the former Community Strategies for Sustainability and Justice (CSSJ) Program at the Pacific Institute.  Some of the information included in this guide previously appeared in the Community Resilience Fact Sheets developed by CSSJ staff and the Oakland Climate Action Coalition in 2013.

Oakland Climate Action Coalition
Email: info@oaklandclimateaction.org
website

Licensed under the Creative Commons (Some Rights Reserved, creativecommons.org/)

* = Former affiliation, shown for informational purposes only