Planning Studies

Planning Studies The Texas General Land Office (GLO) implements planning studies to help disaster-impacted communities build resiliency against future events. By leveraging our partnerships with state and federal agencies, engineering providers, and universities, the GLO works to provide the best possible resources such as data analytics, flood models, and resiliency planning. Our goal is for the studies to be used in long-term planning and project identification utilizing various funding sources to minimize the impact of future disasters. Several GLO-managed planning studies focused on identifying prospective grant funding sources that may be available to assist Texas communities in funding local projects. The GLO offers the following tips to help communities applying for funding through grants identified in the studies or other sources.  Although use of these tips will not guarantee your community approval for funding, they can help to strengthen your grant application. Tips to Improve Grant Applications Ongoing Studies Combined River Basin Flood Studies (RBFS) The GLO launched the Combined River Basin Flood Studies in the 49 counties which received a presidential disaster declaration due to the impact of Hurricane Harvey plus 4 counties in the Lower Rio Grande Valley that received a presidential declaration for flooding in 2015. The studies aim to increase resiliency by helping communities prioritize effective mitigation strategies and pursue additional implementation funds. RBFS Website Texas Disaster Information System (TDIS) The Texas General Land Office has partnered with Texas A&M, Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas, to develop, the Texas Disaster Information System (TDIS) is a comprehensive data platform intended for natural disaster management in Texas. TDIS aims to streamline the utilization of disaster-related data, with a focus on improving natural disaster mitigation efforts across the state. TDIS Website Community Health and Resource Management (CHARM) Platform Development The CHARM software is currently bolstering local planning efforts by running scenario planning workshops with local communities. The GLO is leveraging existing software and make it more readily available. With several technology updates, the CHARM platform will be developing online data deliverables for use by the communities. The GLO will fund multi-day technical training sessions to further build planning competence at the local level. When integrated with the disaster database project, this enhancement would provide local communities with the technical expertise to make informed planning decisions. CHARM Website Green Infrastructure in Texas (GIFT) The Texas General Land Office has partnered with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Green Infrastructure for Texas (GIFT) Program to provide outreach and off-the-shelf products for communities to incorporate green infrastructure practices to reduce the risk of flooding and storm-water runoff. When this study concludes, communities will have access to green infrastructure engineering designs and a cost benefit analysis support for GI projects.  These resources are intended to build local community capacity to implement nature-based solutions for storm-water management. GIFT Website