It's Time for Cities to Get Serious About Flood Detection

The 15-plus inches of rain that overwhelmed Houston on Sunday and Monday and killed eight people showed just how vital early flood warnings can be.

Throughout the U.S., the National Weather Service issues flood advisories at the county and city level when it’s clear that a lot of rain is going to fall there. These big-picture announcements, though, are generally too broad and difficult for individuals to act on, says Philip Bedient, an engineering professor at Rice University and expert in flood warning systems. He’s working to fix that using a combination of cameras, radar, rain gauges, and digital modeling, and it’s already saved the massive Texas Medical Center a lot of rain damage. Broader implementation could reduce flooding deaths and losses elsewhere in Houston, and around the world.