CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Beneficial rainfall moved through the Coastal Bend on Monday to kickstart the new work week, and those daily rain chances will continue ahead of an approaching cold front.
Though the rain has been much-needed, for residents in areas prone to flooding, it can also bring with it an unwelcomed visitor in and around their property and make it difficult to get around their neighborhood.
For folks in North Beach, flooding is nothing new, but a newly adopted "non-structural fill" policy could potentially help residents who encounter the worst of it.
City of Corpus Christi District 1 Councilman, Everett Roy, represents the area. Roy says the policy came about following amendments to an ordinance that residents in North Beach can follow.
According to the councilman, the city had a study done by one of their consulting engineer firms that looked at the entire North Beach area and what it would take to elevate some of the residences so they would have appropriate drainage.
The policy, made possible through FEMA, was just adopted at the last city council meeting and is aimed at making it easier for residents who want to 'elevate' their land.
"You can get a permit and the only thing you have to do is, if you want to increase your land - less than two feet- you can follow the provision under this ordinance to do that without needing an engineer report," Roy explained. "To go over two feet, you need to have an engineer report, but what it does, is it allows them to elevate their lands so they have better runoff."
It was in October of last year, Corpus Christi City Council voted to approve the North Beach revitalization and drainage plan. City leaders had said a canal would serve as both a drainage solution to the flooding problems for the area and provide recreation for tourists.
On Monday night, Roy also addressed where the canal project currently stands.
"We still have the engineering and pre-engineering done for the canal," said Roy. "It's not a navigable canal, but we're still looking at doing a canal and right now it's in the pre-engineering phases of that."
Residents interested in elevating their land are encouraged to get a permit and can reach out to the city to learn more.
However, with rain remaining in the forecast for the week, residents who are in those more flood and ponding-prone areas may want more immediate solutions. The councilman says to call 3-1-1 or contact him directly, at 361-677-1335.
"If somebody gets where their area - their street - is where they can't pass, they can call us and we can have someone come out," Roy explained. "They can actually pump that water out of the area, suck it up, and move it to a different area, so they can open that street up."
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