U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, Salado Mayor Merle Stalcup and members of the Salado Board of Aldermen will hold a joint news conference at 10 a.m. today to announce details about the FEMA hazard mitigation grant.
Stalcup said Salado would be required to provide matching funds of $93,000. He said the money would be dedicated to re-engineering the bridge at Smith Bluff and Winners Circle.
During heavy rains and flash floods, the narrow passage at that bridge creates a dam effect that spreads water out in the area, Stalcup said.
“We don’t know when the funds will arrive, we just know they are on the way,” Stalcup said.
FEMA updated its floodplain maps in 2008 using digital electronic technology from satellite photography. The last update from surveys was completed in 1984.
What it showed is that some areas in Salado that were previously in low or moderate risk areas on the old maps were reclassified to high risk. The new maps went into effect Sept. 26, 2008.
Bell County engineer Richard Macchi told the Telegram in August last year that the digitized maps indicate a 100-year flood could cover some places, previously thought to be high and dry, with up to 3 feet of water.
The news conference today will be at the Salado Municipal Building at Village office at 301 N. Stagecoach Road. The public is invited.
