Texas flood plan: 5 million people at risk in flood-prone areas

According to a preliminary draft of Texas’s inaugural flood plan, more than 5 million residents or employees in the state are situated in areas prone to flooding. This initiative by the Texas Water Development Board aims to mitigate risks by proposing strategies to fortify the state against floods and rising sea levels, mandated by a 2019 state law enacted in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

The public can provide feedback on the plan during a meeting scheduled for May 30 in Austin, with an online comment submission deadline of June 17.

Released in early May, the plan estimates that nearly 1.3 million homes in Texas are situated in flood-prone zones. Sarah Kirkle, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs for the Texas Water Conservation Association, emphasized the plan’s importance in offering comprehensive insights into the areas most susceptible to flooding.

To compile the plan, existing flood data served as the foundation, but many regions lacked updated flood maps. Local water authorities bridged these gaps, and the TWDB collaborated with Fathom, a flood risk modeling company, to bolster the data.

Climate change exacerbates flooding risks in Texas by inducing warmer temperatures, leading to increased evaporation and heavier rainfall. Hurricanes and sea level rise, compounded by climate change, intensify flood occurrences.

Hurricane Harvey, infamously dumping over 50 inches of rain in parts of Houston, caused extensive damage, nearing $125 billion. Recent heavy spring rains triggered widespread flooding and evacuations across Southeast Texas.

More than 2.4 million individuals inhabit or work in areas vulnerable to 100-year floods, with an additional 2.8 million located in 500-year floodplains. A quarter of Texas’s landmass, approximately 67,000 square miles, falls within these flood-prone zones.

The plan outlines legislative recommendations from the TWDB and 15 regional groups, with projected mitigation costs exceeding $49 billion. A significant portion of this funding would support the “Ike Dike” project, aimed at safeguarding the Houston region from storm surges.

While the Flood Infrastructure Fund, established in 2019, has allocated nearly $644 million for drainage and flood mitigation projects, ongoing funding challenges persist. TWDB proposes legislative measures to enhance flood preparedness, including the implementation of a statewide flood early warning system and technical assistance programs for underserved communities.

Despite the plan’s comprehensive approach, concerns linger regarding the outdated flood modeling methods, which fail to account for future climate variables.

TWDB intends to finalize the plan by summer and present it to the Legislature by September 1.