Texas Flash Flood Coalition: Finding Solutions to Alert Citizens in the Deadliest Flash Flood Alley of the United States

Texas Flash Flood Coalition is using innovation and networking to find solutions to alert citizens in the deadliest flash flood alley of the United States. Texas leads the nation in flash flood fatalities. Flash flood alley extends from Dallas/Fort Worth to Austin and San Antonio and as far west as Del Rio. At least 278 people perished between 1996 and 2016 according to the National Centers for Environmental Information Storm Data. Several stakeholders who helped to launch the Turn Around Don’t Drown ® campaign in 2003 are also TFFC members. These stakeholders care deeply and are passionate about finding solutions to this flash flood problem in Texas.

As noted in the catastrophic flash floods of 2015 and 2016, a combination of torrential rainfall episodes and increasing population in “flash flood alley” resulted in a deadly recipe for flash flood disasters. The purpose of this talk is to discuss how the TFFC began and how it conducts their annual meetings to spark networking and innovation. The mission statement and the strategy followed by the TFFC will be explained. Finally, best practices developed by members of the coalition like the National Flood Model, ATX Floods (City of Austin’s Low Water Crossing Alert System), High Water Alert Life Saving Technology, HALT (Bexar County Flash Flood Alert System), iSeeFlood App and the latest research findings will be presented.