Sec. 86.82. INSTITUTE FOR A DISASTER RESILIENT TEXAS. (a) In this section, "institute" means the Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas.

(b) The Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas is a component of Texas A&M University.

(c) The institute is under the management and direction of the board.

(d) The institute shall:

(1) develop data analytics tools to support disaster planning, mitigation, response, and recovery by the state, its political subdivisions, and the public;

(2) create and maintain web-based analytical and visual tools to communicate disaster risks and ways to reduce those risks, including tools that work on the level of individual parcels of land;

(3) provide evidence-based information and solutions to aid in the formation of state and local partnerships to support disaster planning, mitigation, response, and recovery;

(4) collect, display, and communicate comprehensive flood-related information, including applicable updated inundation maps, for use by decision-makers and the public; and

(5) collaborate with institutions of higher education, as that term is defined by Section 61.003, state agencies, local governments, and other political subdivisions to accomplish the purposes of this section.

(e) The institute may employ personnel, including experts in planning, engineering, hydrology, ecology, and economics.

(f) The institute may accept a gift or grant from any public or private source for the benefit of the institute.

Added by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1118 (H.B. 2345), Sec. 1, eff. June 14, 2019.