COMFORT, Texas – Guadalupe Region Flood Planning Group members considered safer development policies in flood-prone areas in its first meeting since the devastating Hill Country floods.
Comfort residents shared history of floods in the community during Wednesday’s meeting and how they have impacted their lives.
“Given we have had four National Water Service-declared flood events on the river in Comfort in the last 10 years, each with over five inches of rain, it’s a miracle that we have not suffered more,” resident Sherry Walden said.
The Guadalupe Regional Flood Planning Group was established by a 2019 Senate Bill that created a state flood planning process for Texas, according to its website.
The Texas Water Development Board shared recommendations for higher floodplain management standards at Wednesday’s meeting, which are more detailed than the minimum National Flood Insurance Program standards set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
For example, instead of managing flood risks to at least the one percent (100-year) event, the TWDB recommends starting with 50 percent (2-year) events.
Some residents said they are still recovering from the trauma of the floods in 1978 and are looking for development improvements to avoid future devastation.
>>> Flood of ’78: The other storm that dropped at least 4 feet of rain
“For us this is personal,” resident Nancy Martin said. “We don’t want Comfort to be devastated by the impacts of a flood this neighborhood can cause.”
The next Guadalupe Regional Flood Planning Group meeting will be on Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. in Seguin.
Read also: