Flood Warning Strategies To Save Lives And Property

Flooding in Texas is a critical issue. On average, flooding causes $962 million in annual property damage and can lead to repair costs soaring into the billions, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Texans living near the Gulf Coast face some of the highest flood risks in the United States. To confront the growing threat of flooding, the Texas Water Development Board turned to The University of Texas at Austin with a critical question: “How can we craft a more effective strategy to inform the public about flood risks?”

For Keri Stephens, a professor in organizational communication technology and co-director of UT Austin’s Technology and Information Policy Institute, this work is personal. In 1973, Stephens and her family survived a flood in Clear Fork, Texas, but  lost their home and possessions. These experiences allow her to connect with communities who may be skeptical of outsiders.

“When developing new tools to communicate flood warnings, we must involve a broad range of audiences and tailor our messaging,” Stephens said. “Some community members are more culture- or language-driven, and others are not listening to the news as much as to people in their sphere of influence.”

For example, “Turn Around Don’t Drown” warnings are not effective for 18 to 35-year-olds because younger people do not see themselves as at-risk. “If you warn younger people that flooding can damage their cars and raise their insurance premiums, they’re more apt to listen,” Stephens said.

Stephens leads the communication and visualization research project for the Texas Integrated Flooding Framework (TIFF), which outlines clear objectives for designing information tools and communication strategies to support flood risk decision-making.

Effective communication depends on clear, actionable information that people can understand and use. The TIFF guidelines encourage behavioral change using the best available data and insights.

“Texas is a data-rich state for people to make informed decisions about complex flood problems, but information isn’t always accessible or communicated well,” said Suzanne Pierce, an award-winning research scientist for innovation and community engagement at TACC. “Some people don’t have access to the internet in their homes, so you must meet them where they are.”

Pierce praises TACC’s efforts and is proud of its work in raising flood awareness to communities through methods such as coastal flooding simulations and hurricane models.

“When you see hurricane predictions anywhere along the coast of the United States, you can be sure that TACC’s weather modeling is being used in those forecasts,” she said. “UT Austin has a rich history of doing hurricane modeling at scale. This work combined with innovative communication will help us partner with local governments and stakeholders to disseminate effective coastal flooding communication strategies.”

TIFF guidelines promote the use of cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence and advanced data visualization, to communicate coastal flood risks more effectively. Although these innovations show great promise, they require rigorous, audience-specific testing before being widely deployed. Central to the guidelines is an emphasis on user experience throughout the design of coastal flood warning interfaces. This includes systematically collecting data on user interactions, organizing and analyzing it to improve usability, and continuously refining the user interface based on real-world feedback.

“This project aims to improve our understanding of how end-users currently receive flood-related modeling and data products, and how they prefer to receive this information in the future,” said Amin Kiaghadi, TIFF project manager and manager of the Coastal Science Program at the TWDB. “The project’s outcome will provide guidelines and recommendations for effectively communicating highly technical information.”

While Stephens lauds every tool available to the public during emergency situations, she warns of the unintended consequences of overly complex communication tools.

“Trying to read map layers in an emergency can be overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to understand detailed mapping on something as small as a phone screen,” Stephens said.

Adding simple and adaptive processes will result in information and communication products that withstand design testing, can be updated regularly, and integrate the needs and concerns of communities.

When you see hurricane predictions anywhere along the coast of the United States, you can be sure that TACC’s weather modeling is being used in those forecasts.

“We want to help organizations more effectively find the archetype of the people they want to reach,” Pierce concluded. “When developing new communication strategies, you should not expect residents to go into a digital space.”

For example, in the Rio Grande Valley where flooding is a frequent occurrence, guidelines recommend that flood prevention messaging be printed on sandbags used by residents before an event occurs and on boxes used by local food banks.

“From state and federal agencies to nonprofits and university groups, Pierce said, “the TIFF guidelines can be used to create best practices for flood prevention communication.”