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Consequences of Floods in Texas

Environmental geographist Todd H. Votteler writes that 20 million of the 171 million acres in Texas are flood-prone -- more than in any other state. Texas experiences extreme flooding because of its diverse climate and geography. Thunderstorms and heavy rains in the spring often cause flash flooding because of the cold ground; rain on the coast comes from tropical cyclones in the summer and fall, causing inland flooding because the soil is rich with clay and does not absorb water well.

  1. Evacuations

    • Central Texas is known as Flash Flood Alley. The city of Austin identified 71 areas in that city alone that likely will need to be evacuated because of flooding. The city's website also reports that when hurricanes Madeline and Lester flooded central and south Texas in 1998, 20 counties were declared disaster areas, with 7,000 people evacuated from their homes. The storms damaged 454 homes in Austin alone.

    Structural Damage

    • Votteler notes that 8 million structures in Texas are in floodplains. A flood in 1894 destroyed the raceway that powered a cotton gin in the town of Grandfalls, created a new river channel and destroyed a dam. When Tropical Storm Allison struck Houston in 2001, the inland flooding it caused resulted in damages totaling $4 billion. According to Austin's website, rainfall in November 2001 was estimated to have reached 15 inches in about six hours, damaging about 860 buildings.

    Fatalities

    • More people die in floods in Texas than in any other state, and flash floods are the No. 1 weather-related cause of death in the state. "Most victims of flash floods fall into two categories: drivers trying to cross flooded areas, and children and young adults playing in or near floodwaters," Votteler notes. Among the many examples are hurricanes Madeline and Lester, which resulted in 31 deaths, and Tropical Storm Allison, which caused 40 deaths.

    Construction

    • Several long-term construction projects to control floodwaters have taken place. According to the Texas State Historical Association, a 1932 flood proved that levees built only on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande would be insufficient, so the International Boundary Commission recommended the construction of floodways on the U.S. and the Mexican sides of the river. From late 1933 to 1951, U.S. construction included 300 river and floodway levees, improvements and control works.

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