SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL — The City of Tallahassee has released a flood inundation map designed to give residents and property owners better information and awareness about flood risk before severe weather hits.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
Many residents on the southside have expressed concerns about flooding, especially when heavy rains overwhelm streets and drainage systems.
City officials say that urgency is part of why the new tool was created.
"It's important to always understand what the risks might be for anything or to anything, any kind of natural event, but in this case, to flooding and to rainfall, because rainfall can happen anytime, not just during a tropical system, not just during a tropical storm. And so again, it's just important to be aware and well-informed," Jason Smith, City of Tallahassee Stormwater Planning Manager, said.
Smith says the tool is designed to be easy to use and accessible across devices.
"It's a great online tool that can be used on a phone, a tablet, computers, and folks can look up their address on a map, similar to a Google Map, and then determine through that map, see the predicted flooding and flood depths for various rainfall events," Smith said.
Some southside neighborhood leaders say that while the tool is helpful for understanding flood risk, they also want to see continued improvements on the ground.
"We always want to know what's going on in our neighborhood. People are still moving into our neighborhood. People are still building homes and brand new homes in our neighborhood," Willie Whiting, Jake Gaither Neighborhood Association President, said.
City officials say the system is intended strictly as a planning tool, helping residents identify areas that may be prone to flooding so they can take steps in advance and create an emergency plan, such as elevating utilities, preparing sandbags, and monitoring rainfall forecasts ahead of severe weather.
The city says since the map is not an official FEMA flood map, it may not show exact conditions street by street, but the goal is for residents to better understand flood risk conditions in their areas ahead of hurricane season.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
