DALLAS — You might be surprised to learn that the state of Texas has never had a statewide flood plan in its history.
It does now.
And it’s quite expensive, with the potential price tag reaching up to $54.5 Billion.
“The price tag has surprised the entire capitol, honestly,” Brooke Paup told us on Y’all-itics. “It did not surprise our locals, our 15 regional flood planning groups. They are well aware of how they flood, the risks of flooding and what they’re dealing with on a daily basis. But to wrap up all 15 plans and put them into one singular plan, with one price tag, it was pretty extraordinary.”
Brooke Paup is the Chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board, which just approved the 2024 State Flood Plan, which highlights where the problems are and offers solutions to mitigate the impact of flooding.
The initial idea to come up with a statewide guide map for flood mitigation was born after Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas in 2017.
The Legislature provided the directive and the funding for the flood plan in 2019.
Five years later and with a new plan in place, there are now 15 flood planning regions in Texas, each with different flooding risks and mitigation strategies.
Watch the full Y'all-itics episode:
Some of the fixes include building new dams and bridges, while fixing old ones, early warning systems, education and even improving safety at low water crossings, a particular danger all over Texas.
State Senator Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, chairs the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs, so he’ll have a big say about which projects receive funding.
The Republican says these are “decade projects,” and funding will be provided over time, as opposed to one big check.
Even if all of the money was available up front, the projects are too big to complete all at once.
“If we had a $54 Billion check today and we put it into the Texas economy, there’s not enough vendors in the world to come into Texas to build that kind of infrastructure. You kind of do the best you can with what you’ve got and what the budget gives,” Sen. Perry said.
Sen. Perry also explains why “insurability” will help decide the future of projects located inside floodplains. And Chairwoman Paup explains why it’s so difficult to recapture flood water for future use, especially during the state’s droughts. Listen to the entire episode to learn more. Cheers!