No region of the world seems immune to natural disasters. They strike in many forms, from earthquakes to forest fires, but one of the most devastating types can be floods. Aside from the enormous property damage and financial loss that result from floods, they also claim many lives every year. For those living along rivers or other bodies of water that are prone to flooding there are permanent flood defence systems they can use to protect their communities and neighborhoods. However, these defences vary in effectiveness, and even the best can be overwhelmed by an unprecedented storm surge.
For those communities that do not have permanent defences, or those whose defences are defeated by the scale of the disaster, there are emergency measures that can be taken to protect the areas being threatened with flooding. The techniques used have to be ones that can quickly be put in place before the waters can rise to the location at which the emergency defences are being erected
Sandbags
The traditional defence for emergency flood walls is the sandbag. This kind of wall is erected in front of the rising flood by volunteers. They fill bags with sand and stack them to form a wall. While this defence can and does work, the time and massive amounts of labor required to erect a sandbag wall is one of the great drawbacks of this approach.
Inflatable
A much faster approach to emergency flooding defences is seen in inflatable flood barriers. These systems are easily portable, and can be driven or airlifted to wherever they are needed. Once they are on site, they are filled first with air and positioned where they are needed, then the air inside is replaced with water to produce the weight to hold the barrier in place.
Mobile Systems
Mobile flood defences have the advantage of being semi-permanent and, as a result, sturdier. To use this system, the community has to set up mounting units beforehand at locations where they anticipate future flooding. The system can then quickly be attached to the mounts when weather forecasters project flooding in the area. The units are usually composed of metal posts, which are inserted into the mounts, as well as beams that are then added between the posts to form a wall. One of the advantages of this approach is that the system is always on hand and ready to use, especially during an emergency.
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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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