Several Types Of Flood Defence Systems

Copyright (c) 2012 Floodsense

Many communities across the world have to face the almost yearly threat of flooding. While the winds and lightning from a major storm may be its most alarming features, it is the flooding that actually causes the most damage as well as the highest number of fatalities. To handle this flooding when it happens, most of the communities have to use some type of flood defence systems.

Permanent Barriers

Many communities have put in place permanent barriers like levies along their riverside to prevent flooding. These walls made of concrete or stone are usually built high enough to handle the average flood that the area might receive, but not the worst possible. The reason for not building higher defenses is often related to the budget as well as the desire not to block the view for residents and tourists.

Portable Units

Some communities have chosen to use semi permanent units. These units have two parts. The first part is made of a fixed lower section with metal mounts. The second part is made of large concrete sections that are lowered onto the mounts when a flood is predicted. This provides the benefit of having a higher flood protection system when a flood is threatening, but that still leaves the view unobstructed for most of the time.

Sandbags

Once floodwaters have breached a community's main defences, they have to fall back on temporary flood defences that they erect further back, and at higher elevation, from the main body of water. The most common type of temporary defence is sandbags. As the name implies, polyethylene bags are filled with sand and piled on top of each other to form walls to stop or at least slow down the advancing waters. This often requires a great deal of physical labor.

Inflatable

A newer approach to temporary defences are inflatable barriers. These barriers can be brought to the scene and erected by only a handful of people, rather than the dozens or hundreds often required to erect a sandbag barrier. To use them, the workers first unroll them on the ground and inflate them with air. Once workers have moved the inflated barriers to where they want to use them, they replace the air with water to make the barrier heavy enough to stand up to the flood.

Choosing the right type of floor barrier to use in a community requires looking at the scale of the floods the community is likely to see and the budget available for the project. Most communities will also need to have both permanent and temporary flood barriers, so if one fails they can fall back on the other.


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For 15 Years Kevin Williams has restored flood damaged properties ranging from domestic dwellings to commercial factories.In 2010 He set up Floodsense offering his expertise in Flood Prevention Techniques, Systems and Services.For a free E-book and further info on Flood Defence Systems, professional advice on Flood Prevention from a leading UK flood protection company visit http://www.floodsense.co.uk


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