About the Tool

Flood Education Mapping Tool

The purpose of the Harris County Flood Control District's Flood Education Mapping Tool is to provide information about the boundaries of mapped floodplains in Harris County relative to residences, businesses and other structures. Floodplains are officially delineated on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM or floodplain map) for Harris County. While the floodplains shown on the Flood Education Mapping Tool are the floodplains delineated on the FIRM, the Flood Education Mapping Tool is not the effective FIRM.

The Flood Education Mapping Tool was initially developed as a mapping tool for the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project (TSARP), which was launched shortly after Tropical Storm Allison struck Harris County in June 2001. Its purpose was to serve as a tool for Harris County residents to learn the location of their properties in relation to mapped 1 percent (100-year), 0.2 percent (500-year) and coastal floodplains. The Flood Education Mapping Tool includes regularly-updated floodplain information from the FIRM for Harris County, interactive legend options, a simple map display and easy map navigation.

For more information about Tropical Storm Allison and the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project, see Off the Charts.

About the Harris County Flood Control District

The mission of the Harris County Flood Control District is to provide flood damage reduction projects that work, with appropriate regard for community and natural values. The Flood Control District widens and deepens bayous and creeks, excavates large stormwater detention basins, implements voluntary home buyout programs and maintains more than 2,500 miles (about the distance from Los Angeles to New York City) of waterways. To learn more about the Flood Control District, visit www.hcfcd.org.