Williamson County signs contract with FloodMapp to revolutionize flood disaster response
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas - Williamson County is looking to revolutionize its flood disaster preparation, response and recovery with a new contract with FloodMapp.
FloodMapp is an Australian technology company that provides real-time flood mapping for emergency managers to reduce the impacts on their communities.
The contract allows the county to access operational real-time flood intelligence through FloodMapp's products:
- ForeCast shows the predicted extent and depth of a flood on a map which can help with targeted alerts and evacuations, proactive road closures, deployment of flood barriers and sandbags and targeted deployment of emergency personnel and resources.
- NowCast is a dynamic, live mapping feed showing the current extent and depth of a flood in real-time which provides up-to-date situational awareness and enhances safety by eliminating the need to deploy personnel to dangerous environments to confirm the flood extent.
- PostCast is a map of the maximum flood extent after the water has begun to recede which supports targeted distribution of disaster relief funding and resources and support post-disaster grant funding applications, ultimately fast-tracking the recovery process.
County Judge Bill Gravell said the county is leading the way in innovative disaster response.
"This will help emergency responders and the public take appropriate action ahead of a flood event, support flood response activities and enable post-flood analysis to streamline community recovery," said Gravell.
FloodMapp CEO and co-founder Juliette Murphy said she believes the real-time flood intelligence will be a game-changer for the county.
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"It will enable localized situational awareness and a common operating picture which will support informed decision-making, improved flood warning and enhanced emergency response," Murphy said.
"This will ultimately help Williamson County reduce flood impact to people, property and critical infrastructure. Currently, no single system exists within the county to gather and display flood conditions during an event. So, this dynamic information will revolutionize the county’s response to flooding," she added.
FloodMapp also works with FEMA and has model coverage in Australia and all U.S. states, according to its website.