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Lamar University Center for Resiliency introduced the Flood Gauge Program in partnership with the City of Orange to gather real-time water data throughout the city. 

The program is called FIDO for Flood Information and Drainage Observations. The system involves 20 strategically placed signposts in low-lying and flood-prone areas throughout the city.

During or after a rain event, citizens can walk up to the sign, scan the QR code, take a photo of the water level on the meter, and submit it, generating real-time water data throughout the city.

This information will be immediately accessible for analysis and distribution, allowing both local emergency management teams and academic researchers to better understand flood behavior as it happens. The system enhances situational awareness and allows the city to make more informed decisions when responding to flood threats.

This data will not only help the City of Orange and Lamar University but also be of interest to regional, statewide, and even national entities involved in flood management and resilience research.

“I had a chance to do an interview before we got here and I’m very excited about it,” said Mayor Larry Spears. “Thank you to Lamar University Dr. (Jaime) Taylor and everyone involved for helping us get this program and to help us find ways to find new resources and things to help us. I had a chance to go before the Senate two weeks ago to talk about different things and flood mitigation of that nature. To see this coming into fruition we just want to say ‘Thank you’. Hopefully, we can get some cool data to help us find out how we can fix this and move forward for the future.”

Lamar University is supplying all the materials needed for the program, including the signs, gauges, and poles. Meanwhile, the City of Orange will handle installation and commit to maintaining the visibility and accessibility of the signs. 

The rollout process is slated for this summer before hurricane season goes into effect.