AUSTIN — Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) has approved an interagency agreement with The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) to coordinate a planning study entitled "Measuring, Mapping, and Managing Flood Risk in Texas."

"Having accurate information before, during and after a natural disaster saves lives and protects critical infrastructure and property," said Commissioner Bush. "This project will create more than flood hazard maps; it will build partnerships and capacity among Texas public and private universities, graduate students, federal agencies and community leaders."

The study will measure, map, model and visually present data recorded during historical flood events across Texas. It will then recommend techniques to mitigate future hazards and risks of flooding in targeted regions of Texas affected by the 2016 Floods. Many of these areas were again impacted by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

The GLO will contribute $2 million via the interagency agreement that will facilitate the use of science, data, and analysis through research opportunities that improve understanding of how social, economic and environmental factors influence disaster recovery and resilience. The aim is to develop new quantitative maps that include layers of information not normally used in flood maps, such as census data, National Flood Insurance Program payouts, crowdsourcing information and survey data, are needed to present how decisions in the rebuild and recovery phases can mitigate the impacts of future disasters.

TAMUS will also engage the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through a collaborative partnership to conduct community outreach for the study.

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