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New study shows Central Texas more prone to flooding than previously thought

About 3,000 residents in businesses in Austin are impacted by the Atlas 14 study.

AUSTIN — The National Weather Service is wrapping up a rainfall study called Atlas 14, which stated that Central Texas is at more risk to flooding than previously thought.

That means residents like Diana, who lives in the North Austin neighborhood of Brentwood, would have to buy flood insurance because her street will now be in a 500-year flood plain. Prior to the study, her street was not in a flood plain.

But the mother of two was prepared.

Her family knew about the possibility of the flood plain change and purchased flood insurance when they built their home two years ago. Because they built their home in front of a tributary, they made other preparations as well.

"We built on pier and beams so that it was off the flood plains and we have a two-story house if we do need to evacuate, if there is a major flood, we have resources upstairs," Diana said.

Diana and about 3,000 other residents and businesses in Austin are impacted by the Atlas 14 study because the city is now rewriting its floodplain regulations.

"It's a huge deal," said Kevin Shunk, the Floodplain Administrator for the City of Austin in the Watershed Protection Department. "So what we think of as a 500-year flood is going to be a 100-year flood, so that's the big change. The probability of us getting flooded is going to increase. What this rainfall study is telling us, is that what we now think of as a 100-year flood has a one percent chance of happening in a year, actually what will be a new 100-year flood will be a 500-year flood, a 0.2 percent chance of happening. So that's a huge change," said Shunk.

Shunk wants residents to find out what their flood risks are by going to ATXFloodPro.com and preparing themselves -- just like Diana, who enjoys the tributary in front of her house when it's dry.

"The thing that we actually enjoy is that we can go exploring the creek and you can find fossils and artifacts kids would enjoy, so we actually go in the creek when its dry," said Diana.

The Atlas 14 will hold a stakeholders meeting Thursday from 11:10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Town Lake Center located at 721 Barton Springs Road.

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