As part of a national heat & flood awareness campaign in cities across the Unitied States, Groundwork San Diego has been awarded funding to engage residents and stakeholders in Southcrest and Encanto in addressing heat and flood-related risks related to climate change. The funding is being provided by the Kresge Foundationn and the JPB Foundation to use current satellite imagery and cross-referenced data on historic redlining, income, race, pollution issues, flooding, and sea level rise to raise awareness of these critical issues. The results will guide development of government mitigation efforts and educational campaigns in these neighborhoods. The research is being carried out in partnership with Groundwork USA under its National Climate Safe Neighborhoods Partnership.

“The need to get the best possible, site specific data on this topic is especially urgent for our community,” says Groundwork’s Executive Director Leslie Reynolds, “given that temperatures are accelerating and historically redlined neighborhoods are most vulnerable to heat and climate-related risks.” Already, extreme heat causes more deaths in the United States than all other weather-related causes combined, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with the effects more pronounced in urban areas. “Groundwork San Diego understands that any effective solution must begin and end with the community. At the forefront is empowering residents to be part of the positive change they wish to see in their neighborhoods“