One year after catastrophic flash floods, Commissioner Ann Howard shares how the Travis County, Texas, community is rebuilding
How neighbors, nonprofits, and the county are carrying Sandy Creek’s recovery forward Sandy Creek is a rural, low- to moderate-income community in Travis County, Texas, where many residents are connected to the rest of the state by a single bridge. When central Texas was struck by severe flooding in July 2025, the floodwaters shifted and […]
Mayor Brian West Turns a Land-Use Pivot Into a Coastal Asset in Tybee Island, Georgia
How the site of a failed well project became a community park and the start of something bigger Tybee Island is a low-lying barrier island of around 3,000 residents just off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. Like other barrier islands, Tybee Island is highly vulnerable to coastal erosion, flooding, and sea level rise. For a […]
Mayor Paul Shewmaker Builds Flood Resilience in Simpsonville South Carolina
How Stronger Standards, a Dedicated Fund, and Smart Partnerships Are Reducing Flood Risk in the Upstate When Mayor Paul Shewmaker took office, Simpsonville, South Carolina, had roughly 23,000 residents; today it is approaching 30,000. While that growth brings opportunity, it also brings risk. Simpsonville’s risk profile is classic for inland South Carolina: no major river, […]
Botetourt County, Virginia Deploys an Impact-Based Flood Warning System
How Sensors, Mapping, and Messaging Improve Flood Readiness In Botetourt County, Virginia, land use is changing fast. Farmland in the north is giving way to suburban development in the south, altering how water moves across the landscape. Fields that once absorbed heavy rain now shed runoff toward neighborhoods and roads built for another era. After […]
Mayor Brad Cavanagh Advances Flood Protection and Economic Stability in Dubuque, Iowa
How a Mississippi River City Balances System Upgrades With Neighborhood Relief Located at the crossroads of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, Dubuque serves as a regional anchor for the tri-state economy. Keeping roads open and neighborhoods safe during heavy rain is essential to that role. Mayor Brad Cavanagh is tackling two realities shared by many historic […]
Mayor Pro Tem Andrea J. Barefield Leads Equitable Flood-Smart Growth in Waco, Texas
How Infrastructure, Equity, and Opportunity Come Together Along the Brazos River The Brazos River is the reason Waco exists and the reason flood planning must be intentional. Historic floods, including the devastating 1913 flood, shaped the city’s layout, leaving older infrastructure and undersized drainage systems in areas where water still wants to go. Mayor Pro […]
Mayor Nancy Miller Champions Coastal Flood Resilience in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida
How a Barrier Island City Turned Hurricane Impacts Into Long-Term Flood Solutions When Hurricanes Ian and Nicole hit Volusia County, the impacts in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, were immediate and deeply personal. Of the city’s 198 oceanfront properties, 127 reported damage, including compromised seawalls, undermined pools, and blocked beach access. Because seawalls are not insurable, […]
Q&A: Building resilient infrastructure starts with flood models
To better understand what goes into flood models, we talked to Liz Perez, president and founder of Collective Water Resources, LLC.