A federally funded project at Rice University is trying to tackle that problem, but in just two counties so far.
Avantika Gori is an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Houston’s Rice University who is currently examining how to improve flood hazard detection and resilience in rural counties in Texas. Her three-year project began in 2025—so far it’s been funded with $1 million from the National Science Foundation. That’s only enough, she says, to conduct thorough research for two counties in South and West Texas. Several other counties were hit last week by devastating flooding in the Hill Country that has killed more than 100 people. Gori spoke with the Texas Observer this week about deadly floods, what can be done to prevent the next one, and what she’s learned from her flood research.
TO: This has been a really sad week. The Fourth of July weekend flood in the Hill Country will likely be the one of the deadliest in modern Texas history with more than 100 confirmed deaths and even more still missing. What makes the Hill Country a more dangerous place for flooding?…