Using communication to help mitigate flood risks in Texas communities

A team of researchers led by Principal Investigator Avantika Gori from Rice University, alongside co-Principal Investigators Keri Stephens, professor in organizational communication technology at Moody College of Communication and Co-Director of the Technology and Information Policy Institute, James Doss-Gollin from Rice University and Andrew Juan from the Institute for Disaster Resilient Texas (IDRT) at Texas A&M University, has been awarded a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

“Our goal is to create a flood management approach that truly serves rural communities — one that’s driven by science but centers around the people who are impacted the most,” Gori said.

The three-year research project, set to begin in spring 2025, aims to develop transformative approaches for improving flood resilience, or minimizing the damages that occur during flooding events, in rural Texas communities. This includes determining ways to more effectively communicate about flooding and flood risks.

“People don’t always understand what it means to live in a 100-year flood plain, so shifting that language and figuring out how to better explain flood risk can help communities be better prepared,” Stephens said. 

Many rural communities face flooding risks but don’t have the same flood mitigation strategies, or even the abilities to address flooding hazards, compared to large urban areas. Hazard risk products, like FEMA maps, are not always up to date so rural areas’ flood risks tend to be underestimated. As a result, smaller communities are left without adequate disaster assistance funding. 

“Sometimes flood maps are only a snippet of the full picture,” Stephens said. “They may show river flood possibilities, but not include risks related to water drainage. We want to come up with visual ways to show people, in simple terms, how floods happen and explain that in a way that people can comprehend.” 

Stephens says that through proper communication, community leaders and residents can be moved to act to better protect themselves and their property. 

The research also aims to target the existing disconnects between many local community priorities and state or federal flood management policies that undermine effective flood mitigation.

“Our goals are to work with people’s lifestyles to help them better prepare,” Stephens added. “We need to understand their values and that’s all about communicating with them.” 

Researchers will work to bridge these gaps in two rural Texas communities – Fort Hancock in west Texas, as well as in Premont in the Rio Grande Valley. Each community has a critical need for flood mitigation and are a representation of the diverse climates and landscapes in the state. 

The towns are familiar collaborators for the research team. Stephens and Juan have worked closely with these communities over the past two years through the Digital Risk Infrastructure Program (DRIP). This new project will leverage and expand on the insights and relationships cultivated through DRIP, allowing them to deepen their understanding of local flood challenges and develop targeted solutions.

The study’s cornerstone is its commitment to a bottom-up, community-centric methodology. Through focus groups and regular roundtable discussions, the researchers will engage local stakeholders throughout all phases of the study, ensuring that community feedback shapes the framework and its implementation.

This research initiative has the potential to establish a replicable model for equitable flood management across Texas.

“We want to bring an earth systems science approach to bear on solutions-oriented research,” said Juan. “Ultimately, we’re training the next generation of experts while equipping rural communities with the knowledge and capacity to address recurring floods now and in the future.”