Interactive maps show B.C. communities' vulnerability to climate hazards like flooding, wildfire smoke

A B.C. health authority has released a series of maps showing how vulnerable its communities are to climate-related hazards like extreme temperatures, flooding and smoke.
Interior Health shared its recently developed community health and climate change maps Friday. The maps, made in partnership with the University of British Columbia, aim to help governments, local agencies and residents understand climate-sensitive areas and plan their infrastructure or emergency responses in the future.
"As in the rest of the province, Interior Health and the communities we serve in this region are being significantly impacted by climate change," Dr. Sue Pollock, interim chief medical health officer with Interior Health, told CTV News Vancouver.
"They're really meant as another tool in our toolbox for really understanding who is most impacted by climate-related events and to allow focus on vulnerable groups within our communities who will be most impacted."
Each map shows a region's risk to high temperatures, low temperatures, flooding and wildfire smoke. That vulnerability is measured by considering exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity.
Some of the factors used to determine a community's sensitivity are the age of the population and their pre-existing health conditions, Interior Health explained, because they impact individual health and physical impacts during extreme events.
Meanwhile, adaptive capacity is determined by several factors like income, social status, education, physical environments and social supports.
Darker shades are used on the maps to indicate a higher risk or vulnerability.
"It's really important to provide information to communities about where they're most vulnerable in terms of these hazards," Pollock said.
Pollock said along with helping communities prepare, the maps can raise awareness of how climate change impacts different people and communities.
"We know some people are more vulnerable to climate change than others," she said.
"All of these hazards, the extreme events, lead to illness and in some cases can lead to death and there are many indirect impacts as well from these hazards."
Interior Health's regional maps can be seen here.
Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health's maps, which were updated last year, can be seen here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

'The only choice': Defence Department going with Boeing to replace aging Aurora fleet
The federal government is buying at least 14 Boeing surveillance planes from the United States to replace the aging CP-140 Aurora fleet, cabinet ministers announced Thursday. The deal costs more than $10.3 billion in total, including US$5.9 billion for the jets themselves, and the planes are expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027.
Blasted by Bloc, Conservative MP apologizes for asking minister to speak English
Conservative MP Rachael Thomas has apologized after drawing criticism from other members of Parliament for asking Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge to answer questions in English at a committee meeting.
Jaw-dropping video shows collapse at Coquitlam, B.C., construction site
Emergency work is underway after a collapse at a Coquitlam, B.C., construction site that was caught on camera this week.
NHL veteran Perry apologizes for 'inappropriate' behaviour, says he is seeking help
Corey Perry says he has started seeking help for his struggles with alcohol following his release from the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.
Filmmakers in Bruce Peninsula 'accidentally' discover 128-year-old shipwreck
Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick were looking for invasive mussels when they found something no one has laid eyes on for 128 years.
Israeli military confirms release of 8 more Israeli hostages from captivity in Gaza Strip
Hamas freed eight Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for Israel's release of more Palestinian prisoners under a last-minute deal to extend their ceasefire in Gaza by another day.
On 1st day, UN climate conference sets up fund for countries hit by disasters like flood and drought
Nearly all the world's nations on Thursday finalized the creation of a fund to help compensate countries struggling to cope with loss and damage caused by climate change, seen as a major first-day breakthrough at this year's UN climate conference
B.C. man tries to appeal driving ban by claiming his designated driver crashed his Mercedes, fled the scene
B.C.'s Supreme Court has upheld a 90-day driving ban for a man who refused to give a breath sample after crashing his Mercedes into a ditch – rejecting his claim that an "unnamed designated driver" was behind the wheel and fled the scene.
Suspect arrested in Morocco could be behind Ontario bomb threats, OPP says
Investigators have 'strong reason' to believe that a suspect taken into custody in Morocco could be behind numerous bomb threats across Ontario in early November, police say.