Seeking Higher Ground: Pedestrian Evacuation Route Planning for Flooding

1. Identifying areas of high social vulnerability and pedestrian evacuation need
2. Adapt principles from roadway evacuation planning to pedestrian evacuation
3. Enhance equitable access to evacuation and recovery during a disaster

During 2019’s Severe Storms and flooding in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 80% of the City of Mission in Hidalgo County was underwater. This greatly burdened first responders’ ability to help people evacuate to safety. In communities across the Valley, a substantial percentage of the population lives in areas that are either in the 100-year floodplain or in unmapped flood risk locations. When disasters strike, from flash floods to hurricanes and even extreme high tides, people without their own vehicles and those who live in areas where roadways are frequently overtopped are forced to walk to their shelter. In contrast to the State’s network of roads and highways, there are no designated pedestrian evacuation routes, and very few permanent shelters within this vast, sprawling region of over one million people. 

In this session, we will explore the preliminary findings of this study for Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy County and will share insights about: 
1.How can the State of Texas keep people in the Region safer when a flash flood hits? 
2.How can drainage and flood-related infrastructure can be tied into evacuation/pedestrian routes? 

The discussion will touch upon themes of Social Vulnerability; Mobility concerns for those using wheelchairs and other alternative means of transportation; Equitable access to emergency services; Challenges of serving areas with limited local governance. Of particular concern are the region's colonias, which are defined by HUD and USDA Rural Development as rural communities within the US-Mexico border region that lack adequate water, sewer, or decent housing, or a combination of all three. Many colonias are extremely vulnerable, as they are built in some of the region's lowest lying areas and their transportation infrastructure may not meet the minimum standards for emergency services access. 

This session will conclude with a discussion of how we are identifying vulnerable people and places and determining new partnerships to promote a parallel evacuation network for pedestrians, bicyclists and those using mobility assistive devices through local trails, roadways and other identified alternatives.