Whether it was the 1967 Hurricane Beulah, 2017 Hurricane Harvey or 2025 Hill Country flash floods, Texas has a long history of severe flooding.
Here in Texas A&M AgriLife, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Disaster, Assessment and Recovery (DAR) Program works statewide to help residents prepare for floods, as well as wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters. DAR Specialist Rodney Walters said that the unit frequently works to help Texans assess flood risks and prepare accordingly.
Prior to moving to Texas and working for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in March of 2024, Walters lived his entire life in Redlands, California, an area prone to flash flooding due to its geographical proximity to the San Bernadino National Forest. During his time in Southern California, Walters spent 24 years in law enforcement, served on the San Gorgonio Search and Rescue Team for 31 years and has been a member of a federal mass fatality team for 23 years.
“During my time on the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response team, I deployed to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and American Samoa for a tsunami caused by an underwater earthquake, and I saw a significant amount of flooding at all of those events,” he said. “As a DAR specialist, I have deployed to floods in East Texas, Hurricane Beryl, and the Kerrville floods, which have reinforced for me the devastation that flooding can cause and how important it is to be prepared for these types of events.”
As a DAR program specialist, he provides education and outreach resources to the counties surrounding his office in Granbury, Texas, including Hood, Erath, Johnson, Sommerville, Pala Pinto, Wise, Denton, Tarrant and Parker. He also responds to natural disasters throughout the state with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension DAR response team, which works in coordination with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, also part of the Texas A&M University System.
Assess geographic risks and red flags
Walters said that the first step to preparing for any natural disaster is to stay aware of your surroundings.
“I think when you are depending on man-made infrastructure, you are always dealing with the potential of failure,” he said. “Whether that is a dam, levy or anything where you’re relying on it to ‘safely’ live there.”
To combat this, Walters suggests making it a point to observe the areas near or around your home and town. This can provide people with the information necessary to create a plan and backup plans.
“If you are new to the area, like my family is, even though we’ve been here almost three years, I still go out and drive a lot of the roads that I am not familiar with,” he said. “I can see if something happens here, where could be a good place to go instead.”
For Walters awareness isn’t just about knowing your surroundings, but it is also about accepting the risks that come with where you live.
“If you are going to live in an area that has been identified as prone to natural disasters, you must have your plan and be aware constantly,” he said. “Once you put that house in that flood zone or in that drainage area, you become responsible for what’s coming.”
Establish a plan
Walters said he advises three different stages of natural disaster planning: family, local and community.
“It is important to have a plan as a family, because your community starts at the family level,” he said. “Having a plan in your household and making sure everyone in that household, no matter their age, is aware of what the plan consists of is crucial.”
For households with children, it is paramount that they are aware of the most important aspects of plans.
“Having that emergency plan, having your evacuation routes, having a map drawn up, and if you have younger kids, having those kids involved in that planning process is very important,” he said. “The more you involve your kids, the more they are going to take ownership of it and the more they are going to be aware of what needs to be done.”
Beyond family awareness, Walters also emphasized the importance of having adequate supplies and checking them routinely to ensure they are up to date.
“Having supplies like bottled water, non-perishable food items, first-aid kits, flashlights, extra clothing, and even some games in case you are gone for a little while to keep the family active,” he said. “And putting that in a place where everybody knows where it’s at and checking it every six months.”
In addition to regularly checking supplies and involving all household members in the planning process, residents should also consider their animals.
“Statistically, the majority of the people who refuse to leave their home in a mandatory evacuation choose that because they won’t leave without their animals,” Walters said. “So, if you have animals, what is the plan for them?”
Next, he encourages Texans to consider developing a local plan, which can allow families to depend on each other in the event of an emergency, sharing resources and possibly supplies.
“Being aware as a community of who has what is important,” he said. “Neighborhood groups are great. On our street, we will have meetings to get a better understanding of who has what and create a course of action as a street in case of an emergency.”
Local efforts can often translate into community efforts as well. Walters stresses checking with community leaders to ensure emergency plans or materials are in place in the event of a natural disaster.
“If you’re a citizen and you want your voice heard, go have it heard,” he said. “Reach out to your emergency management coordinator, the sheriff’s department and even the volunteer fire departments. Especially in Texas, I have found that when something happens, people come together. But if you can take those extra steps to lessen the impact, then the better it’s going to be; having your emergency preparedness kits, practicing your plan within your home, and then practicing your plan, when possible, within your community.”
Seek educational opportunities
Schools, organizations, businesses and families all work hard to be prepared for natural disasters, and AgriLife Extension can help with these educational needs. From one-day workshops to several-day certification programs, AgriLife Extension offers many public opportunities to learn disaster preparedness skills.
“For kids to young adults, age 13 to 19, we provide a multi-day CERT program where they will become youth certified,” he said. “This is to be able to help around their neighborhoods, for the most part, or if they’re at the school and something happens.”
In addition to assisting communities in becoming more prepared for natural disasters, AgriLife Extension also offers programs catered to those who have survived or experienced natural disasters.
“Several of our people are certified in mental health first aid,” he said. “So, they’ll go give presentations on helping those who have been victims of a disaster or are experiencing trauma after a natural disaster.”
AgriLife Extension DAR agents make it their responsibility to ensure that people are given the proper tools and resources to be adequately prepared before and after natural disasters.
Learn more about how to stay ready:
