Flood protection is not often thought about until an emergency occurs. Flood protection methods such as flood barriers are different ways to slow the flow of water or completely block it from coming through. It can apply to cities, towns, and even for home use. Described below are five different methods and how they work.
Sandbags. Sandbags are probably the image we first picture in our minds when it comes to flood protection. When large areas are affected and the water is not too deep, sandbags can keep the water out of a home or business and are relatively easy to access, although labor-intensive if many are needed. In case of emergencies, city or local authorities will publish where to find and fill sandbags. Once obtained, to get optimum results, you shouldn’t fill them more than half full and they should be stacked carefully, no more than three layers high. If the flood waters are expected to be more than two feet, sandbags will not provide good protection. Although there are kits available to allow a single individual to fill sandbags, it’s often more efficient to have several people working in a production line to fill and stack the bags where protection is needed.
Glass Storefront Barriers. Glass storefront barriers are effective at keeping class out of a structure when the water begins rising. Such glass needs to be certified to be strong enough to resist an oncoming flood. Floodwaters put tremendous pressure on the glass and so weak glass can shatter. The sealant around such glass also needs to be well maintained otherwise the barrier may be defeated via cracks around the glass. This solution provides good long-term protection.
Automatic Gates. Automatic Gates are especially useful as they don’t require human intervention. These gates can react to rising water and deploy automatically using the force of the water for power. These are helpful when unexpected flooding occurs and there is no advanced preparation time; they’re extremely useful for underground parking structures at hospitals, apartment high-rises and office buildings. Automatic gates allow emergency personnel to focus on other life-saving measures also as they are not spending their time putting gates or other barriers in place.
Levees. Levees are used to protect low-lying areas. A levee is essentially a wall of dirt and other earth matter that is built up along a low lying area to act as a barrier to a body of water such as a river or the ocean. Levees are good at protecting wide swaths of land and can be built with highly available materials. Levees do require a lot of work and money though as it takes a lot of hours and use of heavy machinery to build a large levee. Levees must also be maintained and this also costs quite a bit in terms of surveying and repair. If a levee falls into disrepair a false sense of security may be fostered and so people living behind the levee may not take proper precautions.
Hinged Flood Gates. Hinged floodgates are similar to door but they provide tight seals and heavy-duty materials. These devices can either be installed in front of an ordinary door or in place of one. They can be left open most of the time and closed upon risk of floods.
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