Know Your Flood Hazard

Floods are among the most frequent and costly natural disasters. Conditions that cause floods include heavy rain for several hours or days that saturate the ground. Flash floods occur suddenly due to rapidly rising water along a stream or low-lying area.

The City of Grand Prairie has 12 major watersheds, each of which has areas that are subject to flooding from rising streams or localized street and yard flooding.

Areas of historical flooding include parts of East Jefferson Street (Willow Bend Mobile Home Park, Sunset Soccer Complex, etc.), Carrier Parkway by McFalls Park, Fish Creek at Interstate 20, and the Trinity River Corridor.

Most stream flooding areas have been mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); however, not all flood-prone areas, areas with poor drainage, or localized street flooding have been mapped. Your property may never have been flooded or may be shown on the FEMA maps to be outside the mapped limits of flooding.

Most areas of the City have yet to see the record 100-year flood event, which is a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. There is no guarantee your property will never flood. Statistics show that the 1% annual chance flood has approximately a 30% chance of occurring over a 30-year mortgage period.

For those living outside the 1% annual chance floodplain, also referred to as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on the City’s flood maps, flooding is still possible. Approximately 30% of all flood claims occur outside the SFHA in areas considered minimal to moderate flooding. This overwhelmingly indicates that everyone should have flood insurance, which is not covered under a standard homeowners policy.

Mapped flood-prone areas and historical flooding information is available by visiting the City’s Stormwater Department.

Real Time River Gauge Info: