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INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10240
February12, 2019
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 1 of 1
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON FLOOD WARNING PROGRAM
This Informal Report is submitted to update City Council on recent updates to the Flood Warning Program.
More people die each year from flooding than from lightning, tornados, or hurricanes. The most frequent
life safety flood hazard in Fort Worth is from road flooding due to rapidly developing storms dropping
intense rainfall over a short period of time.
Taking a next step to improve flood warning capability, TPW-Stormwater launched a webpage that
displays real-time road flooding information gathered from sensors located at approximately 50 of the
-water crossings. This makes vital public safety information readily available to
the community to help residents plan ahead and avoid dangerous road flooding conditions. Real-time
measurements also help improve storm predictions, which allows for more advanced warning as storms
head toward the City.
Information such as depth of roadway flooding, frequency of overtopping, and historical reports of flooding
and rescues was reviewed for approximately 300 low-water crossings citywide to identify the most
hazardous crossings and prioritize where real-time sensors and flashers should be located. Drivers in the
immediate area of a flood hazard are notified by flashing warning lights. At the same time, text and email
alerts to emergency responders are issued anytime the sensor of a flasher system is triggered from rising
water.
The recent Flood Warning System improvements were funded by stormwater utility fees in addition to a
$250,000 grant from the Texas Water Development Board. Recent improvements consist of:
Improved system reliability by upgrading communication equipment, and software;
Twenty new weather stations to better capture rainfall intensity and location;
A public facing webpage showing real-time flood risk information; and
Development of a Flood Response Plan to document the response to flooding prior to, during and
following major events.
The webpage can be accessed at http://fortworthtexas.gov/floodwarning/ from a computer or mobile
device. The real-time status of crossings is color coded to display: No Known Flood Threat (green),
Potential Conditions for Flooding (orange), or Road Overtopped Flooding Conditions and to Avoid (red).
The webpage also provides access to other real-time data like rainfall information.
The Flood Warning System will be undergoing continual improvements in the coming years to make it
more reliable, relevant and robust. Stormwater is also exploring how real-time information can be
improved through collaboration with partner communities, can be more effectively shared through Nixle
notifications, and how real-time information could be integrated with mobile emergency response, and
traffic routing applications systems such as Waze.
Questions about the Flood Warning Program can be directed to Ranjan Muttiah, Senior Professional
Engineer, TPW Stormwater Management at 817-392-7919.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS