Two Cities and Natural Disasters

Part I: Skyscraper

Mapleton and Greenfield were two cities in crisis. Being only fifteen miles apart, they were close geographically. The cities' buildings were collapsing, services were declining, and crime was increasing. Paula was the chairperson of Greenfield's city council. Right now, she was not a happy chairperson.

"It's a finished building with no tenants. That symbolizes a weak local economy. We need to fix that now," Paula said.

"Local industry is declining. This city needs healthier businesses, new schools, and improved housing. It does not need a tall, sleek skyscraper," a member of the council suggested.

"You're wrong. Skyscrapers are a major part of a city's economy. We just need to convince people to move in," another member stated.

"People, we need to focus. Whatever the solution is, this building cannot end up like First City," Paula warned.

First City was the oldest bank in Greenfield. Unfortunately, its failure affected many citizens who were customers of the bank. They never recovered all of their money, though most of them tried to do so.

The council argued for hours about the right way to boost the city's economy. They eventually came up with the idea to have companies start fundraisers to boost the economy. However, they couldn't agree on how the fundraisers would be performed.

"The council is adjourned. We will meet here first thing tomorrow," Paula said.

Meanwhile in Mapleton, businesses were bankrupting left and right. Anna, the mayor of Mapleton, was aware of this, but the city didn't have the money to fix it. She hopped in her scratched and dented car and drove to the city council meeting.

"Guys, this city is going broke. We gotta come up with something to finance the money we need to fund it," Anna said.

"I hear that Greenfield is having a fundraiser to finance their city. We could do the same," a member of Mapleton's city council said.

"We can't just copy Greenfield. For over 100 years, Mapleton has had a unique quality that no other city has. We can't lose that now," Anna stated.

"How about we just give all our money to the city?" another member of the council said.

"We'll try it," Anna said.

The citizens of Mapleton donated all the money they had. It only added up to $7,485.

"That's not nearly enough. The city secretary has estimated that we need at least $75,000," Anna said.

"Mrs. Mayor, there has to be at least one rich person in Mapleton," the member who suggested the fundraiser said.

"I--I don't even know anymore. I'm not strong enough to fix this," Anna sobbed. She broke down in tears.

"So, we'll see each other tomorrow?" a member of the council asked.

Part II: Hurricane!

Paula woke up to a torrent of rain and strong gusts of wind. Greenfield was caught in the middle of a hurricane! The hurricane knocked down many trees in the city, ripped the roofs off of several buildings, and killed ten people. It caused a flood that rose quickly and stayed stubbornly high for days. The flood killed six more people and made life a mystery for the thousands who had to evacuate their ruined homes and stores.

"Members of the council, I know that the hurricane has caused a lot of damage in our town, so let's get down to business. We need to finance the recovery of Greenfield, about $100,000. Any ideas?" Paula stated.

"We could have a bake sale," a member of the council said.

"That's impossible. How about that fundraiser we couldn't agree on?" another member said.

"We could--" Paula started. However, she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Mrs. Jackson, the Charity to Rebuild would like to present you with the money you need to rebuild the city, $150,000. We heard about the hurricane, and we want to pay our respects to the 16 people who were killed," a representative of a charity said.

"Thank you so much for your help that your charity has given us," Paula said. She turned to the council. "Now let's get to rebuilding!"

Walls were torn down, and new ones were erected in their place. Greenfield had never looked so beautiful.

Mapleton, however, was having trouble rebuilding. It, too, was hit bad by the storm. Fifteen people were dead, and many buildings were missing roofs. The Charity to Rebuild had presented them with $75,000 dollars to rebuild. Anna had stored the money in the city safe. When she woke up the next morning, the money was gone.

"How did it get stolen? We have some of the best security in the state!" Anna exclaimed.

"The thief probably cut a hole in the back of the safe," Mapleton's chief of police said.

That appeared to be the case. There was a square hole that was four feet on each side in the back of the safe.

"Oh my God, we have no money!" Anna cried.

Part III: Earthquake!

The earth started trembling. Buildings and structures collapsed everywhere. Greenfield, nearly 150 years old, was almost destroyed. The result was chaos. People started preparing for the end times. Crime was at an all-time high. Stores were cleaned out as panicking citizens stole goods from the shelves to start new lives.

Mapleton was hit by the earthquake, too. The city looked like a pile of rubble. Many citizens were robbed of all their valuables, even some necessities. One family had everything stolen from them, even the beds. A man named John Roberts emerged as the leader of the crime ring. He was in control now.

Soon, the federal government sent the ruined cities aid. The grant to Greenfield was generous enough and was put to good use rebuilding. Two buildings in Greenfield, the Grace Abbott Memorial Library and the Movietime Theater, which were both collapsing before the earthquake, received special attention. The library's walls, cracked and crumbling, were replaced with new ones. The computers were upgraded, and the selection of books was expanded. The theater's ceiling was falling in, but the ceiling was repaired, along with the air conditioning.

The grant to Mapleton, however, was stolen by the crime ring that had formed and split among its members. Anna tried to regain control of the city, but her efforts had little success. The Mapleton police had partnered with the crime ring because the ring paid them better. They deposed Anna, who fled for her safety.

Greenfield, although it looked better, was still not fully repaired.

"Okay, we've used all our grant money, but there's still too much left ruined. We need to fix this," Paula said.

"How will we raise the money?" a member of the council asked.

"If everyone of Greenfield contributed two dollars to the recovery fund, we would have more than enough money to finish the repairs," Paula explained.

The council organized a recovery fund for Saturday. And the fund was a huge success. Some people went above and beyond, donating a large portion of or even all of their savings. The money was counted, and it added up to nearly $400,000.

"Wow! I can't believe how much we raised. I expected $150,000. Instead, we got $395,893. That's over two and a half times as much," Paula exclaimed.

Not only was the other damaged buildings repaired, the city was upgraded with the extra money. The Movietime Theater, the schools, roads, and city buildings were renovated.

Part IV: Epilogue

After the renovation, Greenfield boomed. In just 10 years, the city's population grew from 75,000 to over 2 million. Paula became the mayor, and Greenfield became the largest city in its state.

Mapleton, however, was not so lucky. Its city council couldn't agree on their recovery plan. It ended up disbanding. The crime ring was finally defeated by the citizens, but the city fell into disrepair. People started moving out. Mapleton's population shrank to about 5,000. The people who remained were in groups fiercely independent of each other. Eventually, they drifted closer until they started an effort to recover the city. The effort practically revived the city. Its population grew to 10,000. The effort is still ongoing, but some citizens swear that it ended years ago because its utilities have stopped working. Mapleton's decline and rise sent a message to the other cities: cooperation is the key to running a city.