Flood Risk RubricSeveral states in the Ohio River valley have a history of extensive flood...

Flood Risk Rubric

Several states in the Ohio River valley have a history of extensive flooding. Following graduation, you find yourself working for a state legislator who is part of a multistate task force seeking federal funding for flood protection for communities along a designated river corridor. The corridor stretches along the Ohio River from its source in Pittsburgh to its mouth in southern Illinois. The legislator asks you to be on a team to identify the key factors that contribute to flooding along the Ohio River. She requests that you make a list of factors and develop a scoring scheme that can be used to rank locations in terms of their future flood risk.

1. Your team is charged with creating an evaluation rubric to assess the relative risk of danger from future flooding. You must find a way to rank the risk of potential harm from each flood event. Consider what factors would contribute to the loss of lives and the high damage costs associated with flooding.

2. Complete your evaluation rubric by filling in the blanks on the accompanying table. Your rubric will be applied to several cities along the river, and the three that score the highest will receive funds to develop a flood mitigation plan. One factor is provided as an example. Identify at least five more, and determine the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk values for each one.

3. After completing the rubric, your team is asked to double the score of the most important factor. Which do they choose? Why? Explain their choice. Keep in mind that some factors, while important, may not show much change within a region.