CAPCOG Regional GIS Program To Aid With Early Hill Country Flooding Analysis

“The CAPCOG GIS team often conducts robust geospatial analysis, but assisting with data collection and dissemination should lead to a swifter recovery and mitigation…”

The CAPCOG Regional Planning and Services’ GIS Program assisted the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Llano County with determining height estimations for the Rural Road 2900 bridge reconstruction and disaster debris cleanup efforts through mapping and data collection shortly after the Hill Country floods.

“We are here to help in whatever way we can, especially during emergencies,” said Craig Eissler, CAPCOG GIS program manager. “The CAPCOG GIS team often conducts robust geospatial analysis, but assisting with data collection and dissemination should lead to a swifter recovery and mitigation.”

For TxDOT, CAPCOG GIS obtained the 50-yr and 100-yr flood elevations and hydrologic discharge, or water-flow, rates from the current FEMA Flood Insurance Study for the Llano River very near where the 2900 bridge to Kingsland washed away.

This baseline data will be used with other analysis to begin design for a new bridge. For Llano County, the GIS Program plotted damage assessment data collected in the field using global positioning system (GPS) receivers on a county map according to severity. Creating such a map can assist with prioritizing cleanup and recovery efforts as well as record-keeping for potential financial assistance. Read more about the GIS Program.