Property Protection

The City of Grand Prairie has initiated numerous property protection measures to reduce flood risk in the community. The City has addressed property protection by requiring new construction in the high flood risk areas be constructed 2.0 feet above the 1% annual chance floodplain, or Base Flood Elevation (BFE.)

If the first floor level of your structure is lower than the BFE on the City’s Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), consider ways to reduce the risk of flooding such as retrofitting or renovating to protect your structure.

The City Stormwater Department can tell you about the causes of flooding, what the City is doing about it, and what would be an appropriate flood protection level for your structure. They can also visit your property to discuss flood protection alternatives, such as retrofitting.

Retrofitting measures may include:

• Elevating the building so that flood waters do not enter or reach the lowest floor above flood level,
• Constructing barriers out of compacted soil or concrete between the building and flood waters,
• “Dry floodproofing” to make the building walls and floor watertight,
• “Wet floodproofing” to protect a building by allowing floodwaters to enter uninhabited areas of the property such as parking and storage areas,
• Preventing basement flooding from sewer backup or sump pump failure.

Retrofitting information can be found in the Grand Prairie public library or on the FEMA website.