CAPCOG Releases 2015 Flood Impact, Resiliency Report

CAPCOG’s Planning and Economic Development Division recently completed an economic impact and resiliency analysis of the 2015 floods that affected eight counties in the region — Bastrop, Blanco, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Travis, and Williamson.

The report summarizes available disaster data from multiple sources and used floodplain modeling to quantify economic impacts and assist communities in prioritizing future mitigation efforts.

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and another federal disaster declaration for the region, disaster recovery and resiliency planning are salient once again. Regional opportunities to conduct hazard mitigation planning, to accelerate business recovery, and to regulate impervious cover are highlighted in the report.

The project also brings attention to resiliency projects and programs which have already been implemented across the region, including WarnCentralTexas.org and a promising real-time flood forecasting project, ATXFloods.com.

Given the likelihood that some future disaster will once again impact the Capital Area, this report is designed to serve as a catalyst for continued disaster resiliency planning across the region.

A full digital copy of, “Disaster Resiliency and Recovery in the Texas Capital Area, The Economic Impact and Local Response to the 2015 Memorial Day Disaster Event,” can be viewed at capcog.org/divisions/planning-and-economic-development/disaster-resiliency-recovery-in-the-texas-capital-area. GIS data used in the report is available at regional-open-data-capcog.opendata.arcgis.com/ and interactive maps coinciding with the report are at goo.gl/nWiJRn.