Staying Safe Flood Guide - Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority

Staying Safe
...A Guide for Flooding in the Guadalupe River Basin
If you live in the Guadalupe River Basin, you also live in one of the three most dangerous
regions in the U.S.A. for flash floods! Local residents and weather experts refer to the
Texas Hill Country as ‘Flash Flood Alley,’ because heavy rainfall and runoff from creeks and
streams can cause rapid rises and flooding in a matter of hours.
This publication is designed to prepare you for such an event by increasing public
awareness about the dangers of flooding in the Guadalupe River Basin. The Guadalupe
River experienced major floods in 1936, 1952, 1972, 1973, 1978, 1987, 1991 and 1997.
Last year’s flood of October 1998 developed in a matter of hours, broke most existing
records, exceeded the 100-year flood plain, and inundated areas that had never been
flooded before. It was the flood that many thought would never happen. But floods are
not predictable. They do not follow measured cycles. They destroy homes, businesses
and take lives. Unfortunately, an even greater flood will occur sometime in the future.
The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
are concerned first and foremost about your safety. The more you know, the more you
can take steps now to protect yourself, your family and your property against the hazards
of future flooding.
GBRA