IDSS During Historic Flooding Across Parts of Texas and Louisiana in March 2016

In mid-March 2016, numerous rounds of heavy rainfall brought extensive flooding to parts of East Texas and Northwest Louisiana. The heavy rainfall led to record releases from Toledo Bend Reservoir, the largest man-made body of water in Texas. This resulted in extensive flooding of lands near the Texas Louisiana border. According to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), 880 homes were destroyed or received major damage, and 670 other homes received minor damage during this flooding event.  

This presentation will discuss the successes and challenges related to forecasting and communicating the severity of this historic event. A brief overview of the meteorological and hydrologic aspects of this event will be followed by a discussion that focuses on Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS) provided to NWS core partners. Local, regional, and national communication and coordination efforts resulted in consistent and cohesive IDSS. Effective communication and disaster preparedness activities at the federal, state, and local government levels likely contributed to a successful overall outcome that featured zero casualties.