Flooding was catastrophic and widespread.  Some homes were swept away; others were seriously damaged, and mold is now a health problem.  The green landscaping has been successful at controlling drainage from normal rainstorms, but didn’t help with this storm.  On the bright side: since green building is now a well-established priority for local landscapers and builders, it’s likely that the new construction after the storm will be healthier and more sustainable. 

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Points: 1

The floodplain wetland is thriving and helps control spring flooding in the Foggy Hollow River.  During the storm, water spread out across the wetland instead of surging into Foggy Hollow.  Foggy Hollow river still overflowed and flooded the area, but the flood damage was low compared to other communities not protected by a wetland.  The story of the wetland protecting the town got picked up by a journalist – Foggy Hollow made the news for its wetland! 

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Points: 3

The levee failed catastrophically in the storm, and Foggy Hollow was completely flooded.  Taller levees upstream and downstream caused water to pour through the failed levee and pile up in Foggy Hollow.  It was a disaster.  All of the houses near the river were completely destroyed, and people were seriously injured.  The community might not recover – lots of people moved away, and many of the damaged homes were left derelict.  The people who live there are very angry at the town for failing to protect them.

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Points: -2

During the storm, the river flooded the park – if there had been houses there, they would have been completely destroyed!  You estimate that the relocation strategy saved the town almost a million dollars, just from this storm.  The popular riverside park was damaged and will need repairs, but that’s far less expensive.  Everyone agrees that removing the houses was a great investment.

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Points: 3

Between its wetland and its rain gardens, Foggy Hollow is widely known as a model for how people can live sustainably in flood prone areas – and that reputation sure was tested in this storm.  As the river rose, water spread out into the floodplain wetland instead of surging into Foggy Hollow.  There still were floods, but damages were low compared to other communities not protected by a wetland.  The story was picked up by the media, and other towns are now interested in following Foggy Hollow’s example.  The community rebuilt quickly, and ‘green’ construction and landscaping companies are thriving! 

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Points: 4

The levee failed in the storm, and water poured into Foggy Hollow.  The floodwaters were lower than expected because they were able to spread out into the floodplain wetland upstream – at least that part of the plan was a success!  It was still a devastating flood – the houses closest to the river were destroyed, and people who didn’t evacuate in time had to be rescued.  Rebuilding will be difficult and expensive – the town will need to replace the levee with an even bigger one, and it’s unclear whether the homeowners near the river will be able to rebuild.  Some of the damaged homes were left derelict.  Residents are angry.

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Points: 1

The levee failed catastrophically in the storm, and Foggy Hollow was completely flooded.  Taller levees upstream and downstream caused water to pour through the failed levee and pile up in Foggy Hollow.  It was a disaster.  All of the houses near the river were completely destroyed, and people were seriously injured.  The community might not recover – lots of people moved away, and many of the damaged homes were left derelict.  The people who live there are very angry at the town for failing to protect them.  The green landscaping features are nice and will probably be a part of the rebuilding, but they didn’t help with this one.  

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Points: -1