Large Scale Flood Defence Schemes

February 11th, 2010

By Richard N Williams
Flood defence and combating flooding has been a preoccupation with mankind ever since the earliest hunter gatherers settled next to rivers and began farming. Flooding is an unfortunate by-product of our dependence on water and over the years a myriad of different methods of preventing flooding have been introduced with varying levels of success.

However, over the last century, some of the most ambitious and large scale flood defence schemes in history have been built to combat the constant threat that flood waters still pose to our villages, towns and cities that are built near rivers and seas.

Perhaps the largest and most elaborate flood defence schemes in history can be found in Holland and the Netherlands. Much of the Netherlands is built on reclaimed land from the sea, and for centuries the Dutch have been trying to prevent the sea claiming it back. Their most famous landmarks, the windmills were built for just such a purpose, however after the North Sea caused terrible flooding in 1953, the Dutch built the Delta Works, a series of 13 ambitious dams, the largest being the 9 kilometre Oosterscheldedam.

In London, the Thames Estuary has caused awful flooding in the past which led to the building of the Thames Barrier throughout the 1970’s and 80’s – it is one of the world’s largest moveable flood barriers that spans nearly half a mile.

Some large scale flood defence schemes have, despite huge cost, proved expensive failures. One such scheme is the hundreds of miles of levees and flood gates that were meant to protect New Orleans from flooding. However, after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, it was obvious the system failed dramatically.

These large scale flood defences are only a small part of how most areas defend against flooding. One of the most common flood defences still in use is the common-or-garden sandbag which are nearly always deployed in times of rising sea water.

However, even the humble sandbag has had a twenty-first century makeover. Instant sandbags are now available that inflate with just water, doing away for the need for all that sand and the logistical headaches that it brings.

Unlike traditional sandbags that can take hours to fill, instant sandbags fill up in minutes, which means they can be stored flat and only taken out when needed – rather than having to fill traditional sandbags days in advance.

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The World’s Worst Floods

February 7th, 2010

By Richard N Williams

Floods can of course be caused by a multitude of reasons, but because of mankind’s dependence on water and our historical need to build our towns and cities nears rivers, it makes us extremely vulnerable to flooding.

Whilst floods in the UK and across developed nations can be costly; causing untold damage and can result in the loss of businesses and homes; flooding in the West very rarely causes mass loss of life.

However, in some parts of the world, flooding can be catastrophic, and when they hit they can cause the deaths of hundreds and thousands of people.

Some of the worst floods in history have happened in these parts of the world, and while in the UK, the worst ever recorded flooding happened at the end of the eleventh century – when the Thames flood killing thousands of medieval Englanders – across the globe severe floods still cause catastrophic loss of life.

Here are some of the worst floods of the last century:

Huang He (Yellow) River, China 1931
China’s rivers have been responsible for some of the worst flooding in history. In 1931 the Huang He burst its banks leaving between 1-3 million people dead. In recent years the Chinese government have tried to dam the river to prevent future catastrophes but the damming has proved controversial and is not entirely the most effective flood defence measure.

Bangladesh 1998

Nearly two thirds of the entire country was flooded after torrential rains in 1998. Whilst only a thousand people lost their lives, the floods affected nearly 30 million people and the topography of Bangladesh means that the risk of it happening again is ever present and little can be done to defend from flooding in the future.

Caracas, Venezuela 1999

At least 10,000 people lost their lives when torrential rain caused mass flooding across the nation and hundreds of thousands where left homeless.

Floods in Bagladesh -Picture Raiyan Kamal

Despite grand flood defence schemes and revolutionary flood defence measures like instant sandbags, flooding is still one of the most dangerous natural disasters that can affect mankind.

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Flood Defence Tips – How to Use Traditional Sandbags

February 3rd, 2010

By Richard N Williams

Sandbags have long been a primary tool in any flood defence arsenal. They are perhaps not the most effective measure to prevent flood waters but they can provide a temporary solution. They are useful for blocking doorways, drains, vents and for building more substantial sandbag walls to hold back rivers and rising flood waters.


Filling sandbags takes time – image FEMA

Whilst sandbags are a cheap solution for flood defence, there are disadvantages to using traditional sand-filled sandbags:

* They take time to fill – a dozen sandbags will take about an hour to fill
* They are cumbersome and heavy to handle and transport
* The are not biodegradable or very eco friendly
* It takes two people to fill them properly
* They are only effective if they are properly filled.

Because filling and using sandbags correctly is important to their effectiveness, it’s essential to get it right first time; so here is the correct procedure for filling and utilising sandbags:

Firstly, it’s a two man job. One person needs to hold the empty sack (sandbag) the other should fill it with a shovel or spade. The sandbags should not be overfilled, halfway is sufficient otherwise they won’t mesh together and water will seep through. The sandbag doesn’t need to be tied but its worth folding the end over to prevent them getting kicked over as you fill them.

Secondly, when placing sandbags make sure the area is cleared of any rubbish or debris. A ground sheet is preferred but this is not always possible. The half-filled sandbags should be laid lengthways and the bags should be stacked in layers like a brick-wall with each layer overlapping the previous. Pat down the sandbag wall to ensure there are no gaps otherwise water may get through.

Remember, sandbags are not the most effective flood defence measure. As you can see, they are time consuming to fill so they need to be prepared in advance. Getting access to sandbags and transporting them whilst full can be a logistical nightmare so be prepared as much in advance as you can.

There are alternatives to the traditional sandbag. Instant sandbags work in much the same way except the require no sand, require just water to fill, can inflate in minutes and be stored flat and taken out only when needed.

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The Hidden Effects of Flooding on the Environment

February 1st, 2010

By Richard N WIlliams

Flooding is disastrous no matter where it hits. In some parts of the developing world, flooding and its after effects can cost countless lives and leave thousands destitute. And even in the West, when flood waters rise it can be calamitous.

And the after effects of flooding can be just as bad as the flood waters themselves. Drought, famine, disease and homelessness can all be brought on by flood waters; but there are also hidden effects caused by flooding, and more importantly by our efforts to combat floods.

It is fairly common knowledge that an increase in the global temperature brought about by climate change and the greenhouse effect, brings with it an increase in the likelihood of flooding. In the UK, flooding has increased dramatically in recent years with some areas suffering from the effects of flooding for the first time in living memory.

And while there are some grand engineering schemes to prevent flooding; the majority of flood defences that are relied upon to curb rising flood waters are ancient methods, used for years.

Traditional sandbags are still commonly used to halt flood waters and defend properties from floods – but the effects of using traditional sandbags to defend from flooding could actually be making the problem worse in the long run.

Sandbagging - building a sandbag wall along a river. Picture NOAA

Sandbags, quite obviously require sand. But using sand for traditional sandbags has many effects on the environment.

Firstly, traditional sandbags are time consuming to fill and require large quantities of sand. For this reason, and because flooding is never easily predicted, sandbags are often filled in advance, this means they have to transported full.

A typical sandbag, when full, weighs several kilos and transporting them during times of flooding produces large amounts of CO2, especially with van loads of sandbags being transported to flood waters during the wet months.

Secondly, sand is a virgin resource. There may be plenty of it around but it isn’t just sitting around doing nothing. When floods hit the UK, vast amounts of sand are required to fill sandbags and most of it is dredged from the Bristol Channel. This can alter the flow of the river causing untold effects on the local environment and water table. And if that wasn’t bad enough, this dredged virgin resource is then just dumped on to landfill once it has been used.

Instant Sandbags do away with all that transporting of sand. They can be stored and transported empty and flat; then inflated – with just water – within minutes. Yet they act and weigh the same as traditional sandbags when full and yet when the flood waters subside the water can naturally be drained from the instant sandbag doing away with all that dumping of soiled sand.

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Preparing for Floods – Hints to Defend your Home

January 28th, 2010

By Richard N Williams

When flooding hits it can often be without much warning. Flood defence is only effective in advance and once flood waters rise, it can often be too late to do anything other that watch as homes and businesses become flooded.

Preparation is key to protecting homes, businesses and other property from flood waters. And the more prepared in advance you are, the better chance you will have of staving off those rising flood waters and preventing damage to your property.

To assist you in defending your home or business, here are some useful hints to ensure you are prepared for the worse:

Prepare a flood kit. Everything from warm clothes, a torch, food, and of course plenty of water. In the 2007 floods, many homes had to go days without clean drinking water. For real emergency situations you could even buy a water filter.

Survey your property. Look to where flooding can (and will) enter. Whilst some entry points are obvious like doorways, flood seals for toilets and air vent seals are available, so don’t neglect air vents and remember if flood waters enter the sewerage system it can rise up the toilet and flood your home that way!

Ensure you know where to turn all your utilities off. Gas, electric and water supplies should be switched off if flooding occurs.

Try and move all the most valuable items and treasured possessions upstairs. Whilst this isn’t always practical to do too far in advance; homes, businesses and properties in known flood risk areas should consider moving items upstairs before the danger months.

Gates, barriers, seals and other defences should be installed well in advance. Practice setting them up and see if you run into problems.

Often, where flood gates are impractical, the traditional sandbag is the only solution. But sandbags do take time to fill and stack (a day for a decent sandbag wall) and require more than one person to do so. They are also heavy and cumbersome to transport,so a supply of full sandbags should be kept close by.

This is often impractical for most people but you could consider Instant Sandbags. These fill with water so you can store them flat when needed. They take only minutes to inflate and can be used like regular sandbags.

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Financial Cost of Flooding

January 25th, 2010

Those unfortunate enough to have suffered flooding in Cumbria already know the emotional cost of the flood waters. Now it is becoming clear that everyone will end up with higher bills and those in flood risk areas will have even higher insurance bills.

The Bill for the floods in Cumbria is already over £200 Million according to the Association of British Insurers. The floods hit 36,000 and many are still working to repair their homes and businesses.

All the team at www.instantsandbags.com hope that both improved flood protection products and support from Government will mean that events like this will be better prepared for in the future.

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Costs of Flood Defence Expecting to Increase – The Importance of Preparation

January 24th, 2010

By Richard N Williams

The cost of the 2007 flood that impacted so heavily on parts of England and Wales throughout the summer has been calculated to have cost £3.2 billion, theUK environment agency claims. They also suggest that unless major investment is placed into the UK’s flood defence, the costs of flood damage could increase by 60%.

The 2007 floods, which even hit many parts of the country not normally accustomed to flooding, cost flooded business and average between £75,000 and £112,000 and the cost of flooded homes averaged £20-30,000, the agency says.

And if the costs of repair and loss of business following floods does indeed rise, many homeowners and businesses may find it harder to get insurance, and in the current economic climate another summer of floods could see many people losing their homes permanently and business folding for good.

The cost of flooding is set to increase

The cost of flooding is set to increase

But flood prevention, does not just start at the top with large civil engineering projects like flood barriers, there is plenty the average home owner can do to reduce the risk of flooding and minimise any damage following a flood.

The key is to be prepared. Flood gates, flood seals for toilets, air vents and other flood defence measures like sandbags should be bought and stored in advance. Make sure you know how to use the flood defence equipment and practice flood proofing your home. Remember, flooding can happen with very little warning so you don’t have time to be running around looking for sand for sandbags or trying to find assistance to help fill them.

In the case of sandbags, which are obviously impractical to be stored full – and if there is no nearby source of sand to fill them – you could consider instant sandbags that don’t require sand at all. These use water (never in short supply during a flood) and take minutes to fill to become water tight.

Making sure you are prepared for any potential flooding may also help reduce insurance premiums and certainly cut down the amount you may have to claim if the worst does happen and a flood hits your home or business.

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Water Purifiers Bring Access to Clean Water after Haiti Earthquake

January 21st, 2010

By Richard N Williams

The terrible Haiti earthquake that inflicted such devastating loss of life at the beginning of 2010 has demonstrated just how important access to clean water is in the aftermath of an earthquake or other natural disaster.

Water is the most essential and basic resource humans need to survive. Without it, survival is often limited to days and even hours. And even if water is available, if it is not clean or is in anyway contaminated, it can quickly cause disease that can often spread and result in even more deaths than the initial earthquake or emergency situation.

For the people of Haiti, access to clean, safe drinking water is crucial for their very survival and, as is the case following any emergency situation, safe water supplies are often the first thing to get cut off.

However, getting clean drinking water to any emergency situation is a logistical nightmare, made worse in the case of Haiti by the fact it is an island.

Water is heavy and bulky. An individual needs to drink his equivalent in body weight of water in just over a week and in the case of the Haiti earthquake, where millions were in need of safe clean drinking water, this has to be delivered by air.

Instant Clean Water Filter and Purifier

Instant Clean Water Filter and Purifier

However, there are other methods of ensuring safe clean drinking water is available in the aftermath of an earthquake or other environmental or natural disaster. Water purifiers are used by aid agencies and emergency services worldwide and are being used extensively in Haiti following the devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake.

In most emergency situations, the problem is not that there is not any water, but the water is not safe to drink, and it is no different in Haiti. Purifiers and water filters clean the water from almost any source – drainage ditches, puddles, rivers, streams etc destroying any harmful contaminates and pathogens.

And as water purifiers are light and easy to travel, especially some modern instant clean water purifiers – that have no moving parts, no chemicals and are tested to destruction – they are easily distributed by aid agencies in times of emergency – and without them, the people of Haiti could have suffered immeasurably worse effects after the initial earthquake.

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Last Defence against flooding

January 18th, 2010

By Richard N Williams

Flooding is one of the most lethal catastrophes that mother nature can summon up. Over the centuries flooding has killed millions of people and left many millions more homeless, hungry and destitute. Flooding is so dangerous because its consequences are multiple and can cause prolonged problems a long time after flood waters subside.

Famine, hunger, drought and disease are all common after floodwater have long gone, which is why a single flood can cause the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. And flooding is universal, it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, floods can hit anywhere, at any time and from numerous different causes.

Heavy rainfall, snow, damaged drains, earthquakes, damming and soil erosion can all cause floods and it can be very difficult to predict. And once flood waters rise there is very little that can be done to prevent it.

In some areas of the world, flood defences can go some way to prevent flooding. The London Thames Barrier is a good example as the South Bank has never flooded since its installation, but these expensive projects are not always practical or affordable in every area.

And floods sometimes happen in areas that it’s least expected. Rising ground water, blocked drains and a whole host of other reasons can cause floods in areas miles from water sources.

Flooding can happen anywhere

Flooding can happen anywhere

When it comes to protecting property and homes the last line of defence has always been the sandbag. But a well constructed sandbag wall will hold back flood waters only temporarily and they do come with other problems:

Sandbags either have to be stored empty and then filled when needed – this is an arduous task and requires two people, a large source of sand and a good four hours to fill enough sandbags for even a small sandbag wall.

Or they have to be stored and transported full which can be a logistical nightmare – and filling sandbags is not a straightforward task – an incorrectly filled sand bag will not defend against water. If you do find yourself having to fill sandbags, only half fill them and stack them tightly in layers like you would if you were building a brick wall.

There are alternatives to the traditional sandbag that remove all these problems. Instant sandbags actually fill with water and become watertight but can be used in the same manner as conventional sandbags.

The great advantage of these instant sandbags is that they can be stored flat, don’t need to be filled in advance and only take minutes to fill when needed. And when it comes to flooding every minute matters!

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Water Purifiers – Life Saving Emergency Drinking

January 14th, 2010

By Richard N Williams

When natural disasters hit and the death toll rises, what most people don’t realise is that there is often a single cause for the majority of death and disease that follows. Whether it is an earthquake, tsunami, flooding or hurricanes one of the largest single causes of subsequent death – is the lack of clean water.

No matter what the natural (or unnatural) disaster, if it has a large-scale impact the first thing to stop is access to clean water. Even if the mains supply of tap water is still running often flood waters can mean it is not safe to drink.

And dirty water brings with it its own danger. The majority of diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea that cause mass loss of life after a natural disaster, are often caused by contaminated water.

Supplying clean drinking water to areas stricken with an emergency situation or natural disaster is a logistical nightmare. Not only are roads and other transports systems often blocked, water is incredibly heavy and of high volume to transport. Just one litre of water weighs a kilo and every individual will need more than that each day if they are going to survive.

Emergency services and aid agencies do have one weapon in the fight against natural disasters. Water fillers and water purifiers are often used in combination to turn dirty water, from ditches, puddles, ground waters etc. in clean, life-saving drinking water.

A lot of these water filter and purifying systems do come with some drawbacks. Often they contain chemicals or are manufactured with complex pumps and moving parts – making them difficult to transport and they can also be easily broken in emergency zones.

Flood water can be contaminated

Flood water can be contaminated

Fortunately some revolutionary new water purifiers have emerged that both filter and purify clean water without using pumps, mechanical components – or harmful chemicals. They are tougher and easy to transport about in difficult and hostile areas than traditional water purification systems and can provide clean life saving emergency drinking water it times of emergency from almost any source.

These instant water filters and purifiers are helping not just aid agencies abroad but also local authorities back at home who are able to supply clean drinking water to victims of flooding or other emergencies.

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