City of Central cites living flood models, evacuation forecasting and stricter codes after 2016 floods

City of Central officials on the Louisiana Resilience Task Force meeting said they have turned post‑2016 flood modeling into local policy and tools aimed at reducing future damages and insurance costs. Mayor Wade Evans and Stoker Brown of engineering firm CSRS described a “living model” built from state and locally flown lidar, an off‑site drainage assessment that must be run for new development, higher detention requirements citywide, an expanded routine stream‑maintenance program, and an automated forecast‑driven flood warning system that runs accelerated hydraulic simulations to produce hourly outlooks for residents and responders.

Those efforts, Evans said, grew out of the ‘‘wake‑up call’’ of the August 2016 floods, when about 60% of structures in Central took water. The city used the state lidar flown in 2017 and subsequent local surveys to create two‑dimensional HEC‑RAS (2‑D) models to test proposed development and public projects and to produce maps the public can view through an online stormwater hub. ‘‘We developed an off‑site drainage analysis tool for our citizens . . . to ensure that there are no negative impacts neither upstream nor downstream,’’ Stoker Brown said.

Why it matters: Central officials say the combination of models, stronger regulations and public engagement has reduced citizen complaints and helped the city secure grants. CSRS reported the stormwater master plan identified about $135 million in proposed improvements; the city has secured roughly $60 million toward that list, and it is moving ahead locally on at least one smaller project rather than wait for federal funds that were later rescinded. The city also said it improved its FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) classification from a Class 7 to Class 5 in the latest revision, gaining insurance savings the presenters estimated at about a 25% discount that could amount to nearly $1 million a year for residents; officials said they plan to work with FEMA to earn additional CRS points.

Flood warning and forecasting: Central described an ‘‘Early Flows’’ system that ingests NOAA forecast rainfall and runs sped‑up hydraulic model simulations (every one to six hours depending on the forecast) to produce forecasted peak flood depths and maps available online. Brown said the system is fully automated and uses the same hydraulic models maintained as ‘‘living’’ datasets; he said the flood‑warning output was not yet counted for CRS points but is being pursued with FEMA in the next cycle.

Community engagement and regulations: The city said it has increased detention requirements, codified portions of its modeling in local drainage rules (including what it described as community‑defined flood hazard areas and conveyance zones), expanded building and stream setbacks, and requires 2‑D modeling for development proposals in key conveyance zones so proposed projects do not raise water‑surface elevations in modeled storms. The city runs twice‑annual drainage summits where residents can meet engineers and review model outputs for their addresses. Evans said those meetings have reduced opposition to development built under the city’s off‑site drainage assessment because residents can see modeled outcomes.

Funding and grant results: Evans and CSRS described applying to multiple federal programs (FMA, BRIC and other ‘‘alphabet soup’’ grants). The city reported it had been awarded a $40 million BRIC allocation that was later cancelled by federal action; officials said they are seeking ways to recover or reapply funds and are continuing to pursue other grants while underwriting at least one smaller project with local dollars. The presenters said the modeling and grant package demonstrated the city’s readiness to federal partners.

What was not decided: The presentation was informational; the transcript records no formal motions or votes. City staff said they will continue to pursue CRS points with FEMA and to seek grant funding and legislative assistance for regional projects.

Ending: Central officials urged other local governments to adopt similar model‑driven approaches, citing faster permitting, clearer public communications, insurance savings and a prevention‑focused maintenance program as the main outcomes of their work.