ANA Meeting September 9, 2025 at 7 pm in person Northwest Rec Center - Guest speaker Robert E. Mace, Ph.D., P.G.

Come Hell and High Water:
Drought and Flood Risks in Allandale

Robert E. Mace, Ph.D., P.G.

Executive Director, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
Professor of Practice, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
Texas State University
Food Critic, Allandale News

Isaac Cline, Texas’ first meteorologist, once said “Texas is a land of perennial drought, broken by the occasional devastating flood,” and Allandale is no different. If it seems warmer lately than it was only a few years ago, it’s because it is, and it’s fixin’ to get even warmer. Warmer temperatures have consequences for our water supplies, our wildfire risk, and our health. The City of Austin is the only water provider in the state planning for climate change, but risks remain, so residents should strive to use water as efficiently as possible and be prepared for long periods of drought. Wildfire risk in Allandale is moderate by Austin’s standards, so thinking about risk at your home is prudent, especially if a rain of embers falls from the west. And with increasing temperatures and humidities, we need to watch ourselves outdoors as the heat index reaches dangerous levels, especially for kids, pregnant women, and our more seasoned citizens. Along with warmer temperatures and deeper droughts, we are seeing more intense storms and rainfalls. Hail damage has increased in Texas, and large-hail events are increasing. More intense storms have turned 500-year floodplains into 100-year floodplains, and the trend of increasing intensity means flood risks will continue to grow. Parts of Allandale, including many homes and businesses, are in the 100- and 500-year floodplains along Shoal Creek, Foster Lane, and Hancock Branch. Anyone in or at least a lot adjacent to the 500-year floodplain should seriously consider getting flood insurance.