Sec. 16.316. COORDINATION OF LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL PROGRAMS BY BOARD. (a) The board shall aid, advise, and coordinate the efforts of present and future political subdivisions endeavoring to qualify for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program.

(b) Pursuant to the National Flood Insurance Program and state and local efforts complementing the program, the board shall aid, advise, and cooperate with political subdivisions, the Texas Department of Insurance, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency when aid, advice, and cooperation are requested or deemed advisable by the board.

(c) The aforementioned aid may include but is not necessarily limited to:

(1) coordinating local, state, and federal programs relating to floods, flood losses, and floodplain management;

(2) evaluating the present structure of all federal, state, and political subdivision flood control programs within or adjacent to the state, including an assessment of the extent to which public and private floodplain management activities have been instituted;

(3) carrying out studies with respect to the adequacy of present public and private measures, laws, regulations, and ordinances in flood-prone areas as to land management and use, flood control, flood zoning, and flood damage prevention;

(4) evaluating all available engineering, hydrologic, and geologic data relevant to flood-prone areas and flood control in those areas;

(5) carrying out floodplain studies and mapping programs of floodplains, flood-prone areas, and flood-risk zones;

(6) encouraging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to evaluate flood-prone areas by river basin and river system;

(7) coordinating the use of federal, state, and local grant money;

(8) making floodplain maps and floodplain information accessible to the public, including in an electronic format through the board's Internet website; and

(9) maintaining at least one staff member in each of the board's field offices to encourage participation in the National Flood Insurance Program by performing education and outreach and coordinating the efforts of political subdivisions.

(d) On the basis of such studies and evaluations, the board, to the extent of its capabilities, shall periodically identify and publish information and maps with respect to all floodplain areas, including the state's coastal area, which have flood hazards, and where possible aid the federal government in identifying and establishing flood-risk zones in all such areas.

Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2207, ch. 870, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 795, Sec. 1.051, eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 258, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1323 (S.B. 1436), Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2007.