![]() In 1929, the Buffalo and White Oak Bayous both left their banks after a foot of rain fell. Oil turned this rapidly growing town into the thriving city it has become. The discovery of oil at Spindletop in 1901, near Beaumont, changed the history of Houston again. The 1900 hurricane changed all that and investors moved their money to Houston. Up to that point, Galveston had been the main port for the Texas coast and was thriving. The timing of constructing a deepwater port could not have come at a better time for Houston. In 1898, Houston asked Congress for permission to make this a deepwater port, and thus the Port of Houston was created. ![]() The Buffalo Bayou had been deepened in 1869 to improve the shipping port. In the map above, it is easy to see how this city grew up around the bayous. In 1873, Houston had grown from a settlement of 12 residents to a town of over 9,000. Flooding rains would come again and again over the next 180+ years. Done with no planning, draining the land did not account for flooding rains. Initially swamp land, people began to try and drain the area. Not long after being established, the settlement flooded. WeatherSentry® Pavement Forecast Editionįounded in 1836 where the Buffalo Bayou met White Oak Bayou, Houston has faced many floods.WeatherSentry® Airport Operations Edition.WeatherSentry® Global Agriculture Edition.The natural river boundaries are black and the area of inundation is medium blue. ![]() This image shows simulated inundation levels that would occur during major flooding of Greens Bayou in Houston, Texas. Knowing the location and depth of potential floodwaters allows decisions to be made about modifying current infrastructure and safely planning future development, increasing a community’s resilience to natural disasters and mitigating the impacts of flooding. The maps are also being used for longer-term planning. The maps allow decision makers to safely position assets, determine who to evacuate, and identify safe routes for moving people out of harm’s way during flood events. The data and resulting maps show how streets, buildings, airports, and other structures are likely to be impacted by floodwaters. The models, available through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMS) and Flood Insurance Studies, were updated in 2001 after Tropical Storm Allison, allowing accurate modeling and mapping of water surface profiles. Using high-resolution elevation data and reliable hydraulic models, state and federal partners mapped both the projected depth of floodwaters and the areas affected by inundation for several bayous near Houston, Texas. Inundation maps with this information are necessary to inform road and bridge closures, mandatory evacuations, and the positioning of resources. Previously, the NWS published text-only flood forecasts informing users of river heights, but these forecasts lacked spatial information showing potential flood areas. Mapping Flood Forecasts for Better Flood Planning in Texas Communities Issueįlood forecasts from the National Weather Service (NWS) are used by emergency managers and city officials to prepare for and respond to the nation’s floods.
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