'Remaining flood-ready is essential': Texas unveils new flood safety website

The State of Texas has unveiled a new flood safety website, and Gov. Greg Abbott is urging residents in Texas to visit the new website, which contains valuable information that Texans might need in the event of a flood, which are not uncommon in the State of Texas. 

Gov. Greg Abbott recently tweeted to encourage people to visit the website, saying, "Visit the new re-designed http://TexasFlood.org for resources and tips on how you can stay safe during flood events."

Floods are one of the most deadly types of natural disasters and cause huge amounts of property damage in the process. Education is one of the most effective tools in ensuring maximum survival rate during flooding scenarios. On average, a major flood occurs in Texas about every five years. The financial loss from these floods average about $32 million each time. 

The revamp of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) site highlights the reasons why emergency preparedness is vital to proper flood preparedness, including the importance of floodproofing and awareness of second-order damages after a flood event.

TWDB Executive Administrator Jeff Walker commented on the opening of the site, saying, “This excellent resource has been improved to allow more intuitive use of the site without losing any of the robust flood data and tools.”

The site will also feature a number of tools allowing users to review lake and river levels, check precipitation totals and future weather conditions, evaluate the upcoming flood risk, see the potential impacts of floods, connect with their local floodplain administrator and learn about the types of flooding and flood insurance. 

The TWDB also tweeted about the new website, saying, "Given the deadly nature of flood events and the rapid timeframe in which they can occur, remaining flood-ready is essential. The @TWDB has redesigned the http://TexasFlood.org website to provide a user-friendly resource for Texans."

The agency also says that its mission is "to lead the state's efforts in ensuring a secure water future for Texas and its citizens."