I hear people say we’ve had three “100-year floods” in the last 20 years. Is that true?

No, there has not been a 100-year flood recorded since people began keeping these statistics (although the 1986 flood was larger than FEMA’s 1979 estimate of a “100-year flood. Later study of flood records from 1940 to 1988 led FEMA to estimate that the 1986 flood was a “50-year flood.”) That means no one living today has seen a real 100-year flood on the Napa River.

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1. Are our tax dollars going for flood protection or beautification?
2. Are there places that will not have protection after the project is completed?
3. Did the work that’s been completed make a difference in flood on December 31, 2005?
4. Does the Flood District provide sandbags?
5. How does the Flood Project protect the community from flooding?
6. How is the Flood Project funded?
7. I hear people say that because we had flooding in 2005 that means the money we’ve spent so far has been wasted. Is that true?
8. Why is construction of the Project behind schedule?
9. I hear people say we’ve had three “100-year floods” in the last 20 years. Is that true?
10. I live far from the Napa River and Napa Creek. Will the Project protect me from flooding in my neighborhood?
11. Napa Creek floods more often than the River. Why not fix that problem now instead of waiting until later?
12. Was the New Year's Eve Flood on 12-31-05 a "100 year" flood event?
13. What about flooding problems in American Canyon, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga?
14. What areas are most prone to flooding?
15. Some people say you cannot control flooding on the Napa River because of the tides. Is this true?
16. What is a “100-year flood”? Why do we care?
17. What kind of public access to the River will be available after the project is built?
18. When will the Napa River-Napa Creek Flood Project be completed?
19. Where can I find out about evacuations, shelters, river levels, road closures, power failures and other flood-related information?
20. The Flood Project construction started in 2000. After five years of work, why didn’t the Flood Project prevent flooding on 12-31-05?