An interactive online tool that can help Texans prepare and respond to flooding events has newly added capabilities to help inform state and local flood management decisions that can help protect life and property.
An interactive online tool that can help Texans prepare and respond to flooding events has newly added capabilities to help inform state and local flood management decisions that can help protect life and property. Emergency managers and the public across Texas now have access to near real-time information on statewide reservoir and traffic conditions at one convenient location to help assess flood risks and identify evacuation routes as a flooding event is occurring.
In addition to the newly added statewide road and reservoir information, the web-based tool, known as the Flood Decision Support Toolbox, also provides maps and information about the possible extent and depth of flooding at select locations near some U.S. Geological Survey streamgages and can be used to conduct flood risk assessments and damage analyses. The FDST also lets users see estimated economic impacts of flood events on homes and communities near monitoring sites. The web tool will continue to be updated as more information becomes available to support advanced planning and real-time flood response efforts in the state.
“We are continually adding more sites to the FDST and our development team estimates statewide coverage by the end of 2024, thanks in part to an extensive collaborative state and federal campaign to develop models throughout Texas,” said Tim Raines, director of the USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center.
The USGS, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Weather Service teamed up to form the Interagency Flood Risk Management team in 2014 to integrate and leverage the agencies’ expertise and resources. The InFRM team provides flood information and resources to local communities to help reduce long term flood risks in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
The InFRM team released the FDST in 2019, then in 2020 partnered with the Texas Water Development Board to bring enhanced features to the site’s Texas maps. The tool uses a network of USGS streamgages coupled with flood inundation models to display various flood scenarios at select areas throughout Texas. By adding building damage datasets developed and maintained by the TWDB, users can visualize historic flood events or forecast future flooding events to better understand and prepare for flood risks.
“The TWDB is pleased to continue partnering on this important flood resource for Texans,” said Jeff Walker, TWDB executive administrator. “This scenario-based tool and one-stop shop for flood risk information is made even more robust with the recent addition of reservoir level data and the economic estimate features.”
To access the tool, visit: https://webapps.usgs.gov/infrm/fdst/?region=tx
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