City advised not to assist flood victims from April 20 storm

The head of the Watershed Protection Department has advised the city against offering direct assistance to homeowners flooded during an April 20 storm, due to concerns that action could set a precedent for future natural disasters.

In a memo dated June 1, Jorge L. Morales, director of the watershed department, said having the city cover the costs of damages from the April storm would be “not sustainable,” because there are roughly 10,000 homes within Austin that are at risk of flooding.

The memo came in response to an early May resolution from City Council that directed city staff to identify possible assistance from federal, state, and county levels; create an outreach strategy to inform flood victims of possible resources; and look into the possibility of direct city payments to affected homeowners.

Morales wrote that roughly 25 percent of the 10,000 at-risk properties are not included in current floodplain boundary maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Complicating matters for those with damaged residences is the fact that the flood did not result in a disaster declaration at any level of government. The lack of that declaration wiped out any potential financial assistance that would traditionally be available to cover flood damages.

There was a possibility of the federal Small Business Administration providing low-interest loans to cover repair costs, with the memo also noting that city, state and federal representatives visited more than 50 locations to share information about that option.

Morales also wrote that his department is continuing to communicate with affected residents to assist them with using any available city resources that could help them recover from the damage.

The April flood came in close proximity to the early February winter storm that caused widespread destruction and persistent power outages throughout the city, in large part due to trees collapsing from the weight of accumulated ice. Several of the residents whose homes were damaged by the April rainstorm claim the flooding was caused by downed trees that had piled up in nearby creeks.

In conversations with residents after the April storm, Council Member Chito Vela told KVUE that while the city traditionally doesn’t provide direct support for victims of natural disasters, “We’ve got to make sure to help people when they encounter these types of really difficult situations.”

The memo also noted that those who were negatively affected by the flood had 45 days to file a legal claim against the city. To do so, those interested had to contact the Law Department with:

• The date, time, and location of incident.
• A description of what occurred.
• The type of damage or nature of injury.
• Copies of invoices, receipts and/or estimates.
• Any additional documentation supporting the claim, like photos, diagrams, statements or police reports.
• A full mailing address and daytime telephone number.

The April flood gives some credence to the predictions made by the city’s Atlas 14 process, which spent several years conducting studies to redraw local floodplain maps in anticipation of an increase in catastrophic weather events. Late last year, the watershed department began notifying homes located in or near the expanded floodplain areas. Among the city practices changed under Atlas 14: Designated buildings going through substantial renovation or redevelopment would need to be elevated two feet above the revised 100-year floodplain.

Council approved an ordinance amendment related to the Atlas 14 process in 2019. The new floodplain maps show substantially more areas at risk in portions of East Austin just west of Ed Bluestein Boulevard along the Colorado River, as well as to the south, east and west of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Other typically flood-prone places include areas around Onion Creek, portions of South Lamar Boulevard and Brentwood and Hyde Park neighborhoods.

Photo by Ahodges7, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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