The City of Rio Bravo Focuses
on Mitigation
When Hurricane Alex made landfall on the northeast Mexican Coast in the summer of
2010, causing extensive flooding along the Rio Grande River in Texas, mitigation
actions previously taken by the city of Rio Bravo certainly paid off.
Webb County,
Texas
Rio Bravo is a border town separated from Mexico by the Rio Grande River. The city
started as a colonia, where construction was unregulated, and later, was incorporated
into Webb County. Its history brings with it many challenges. In 1998, several homes
that were located along the river were severely flooded. The city applied for the Federal
Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
(HMGP) for the acquisition of those homes. A total of 17 homes were purchased. The
cost for the project was $365,603 with 25 percent being the local share and 75 percent
covered by FEMA’s grant.
“If there were still homes there (during hurricane Alex), they would be gone,” said
Andres Butler, Webb County emergency management coordinator. “The water was so
high.”
FEMA’s HMGP is a state administered grant available to local eligible communities to
implement long-term mitigation measures following a major disaster declaration.
“The state is very much in favor of buyouts,” said Marsha Rutherford, mitigation
specialist from the Texas Division of Emergency Management. “It provides a
permanent solution to the problem.”
Since the cleared land must remain open space in perpetuity, the area was turned into
soccer and baseball fields.
“The flood took them (the fields) away but they are probably coming back,” said City
Secretary Omega Delgado. “We don’t have a lot of stores and things to do for fun
here.”
A raw water intake structure that provides water to the cities of Rio Bravo and El Cenizo
is located next to the cleared land by the Rio Grande River. “It is very important that it
doesn’t go out,” said Butler. He added that around 13,000 people depend on it. In order
to comply with floodplain regulations and to continue in good standing with the National Quick Facts
Year:
Flood Insurance Program, the county elevated the structure in 2006. The cost was
1997
covered by a grant from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), according to
Butler. The elevation proved itself invaluable during Hurricane Alex by keeping the raw Sector:
water intake equipment above the floodwaters and avoiding interruption of the water
Public
supply to the people of Rio Bravo and El Cenizo.
Rio Bravo’s Mayor, Nora Rivera, said they are looking into other mitigation projects to
protect their citizens. One of the projects is the installation of an alarm to warn residents
of weather emergencies; another is applying for a second HMGP grant for the
acquisition of homes that were flooded in the latest floods of July 2010.
Prince Aryee, FEMA Hazard Mitigation Planner, encouraged the mayor to add projects
such as home elevation, acquisitions, and retrofitting the city hall structure to their
mitigation plan. “If you have projects in the mitigation plan, it makes the review process
for funding easier and faster,” said Aryee. “The state of Texas awards points for
projects listed in the local mitigation plan and can increase your chance of getting the
projects selected.”
Cost:
$365,603.00 (Actual)
Primary Activity/Project:
Acquisition/Buyouts
Primary Funding:
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)