The flooding that has hit Queensland and other areas of Australia
have been devastating. And while Australia is suffering from floods
this time, flooding is a problem that can affect almost any town or city
near a water resource, in any country in the world. Even in the UK
flooding has become an annual problem in many low lying areas, and while
the problems of snakes and crocodiles endured by the Australian flood
victims may not affect our Home Counties, flooding still has a serious
impact no matter where it hits.
The key weapon in protecting property and lives from flooding is flood preparation, but as it is near impossible to predict where and when floods will hit, as was the case in Australia, being prepared can be nearly impossible with most traditional flood defence equipment.
Believe it or not, sandbags - the same sand filled sack that have been used for centuries - are still the primary tool to combat flood waters.
In the recent Queensland floods there was little time to prepare sandbags in advanced as the flooding happened with no notice. The result is that people have been struggling to fill enough sandbags to hold back the flood waters ever since.
And this is the major problem with conventional sandbags - they need to be filled-up in advance with a ready source of sand. While there may be no shortage of sand in Australia, the sandbags were not filled in advance as that would require huge warehouses to store them in, not to mention a fleet of hundreds of trucks to deliver the bulky sandbags to flood hit areas.
This is the reason most areas are unprepared when floods hit.
Instant sandbags are an alternative but equally effective (and in many cases a more effective) method of providing flood protection. The advantage is they are not filled with sand - but water. This means they can be stored flat and filled on-site within minutes - using water, which in a flood is never in short supply.
By having a store of Instant sandbags it is a sure-fire method of ensuring any area is protected from flooding, no matter how little warning the flood waters provide.
The key weapon in protecting property and lives from flooding is flood preparation, but as it is near impossible to predict where and when floods will hit, as was the case in Australia, being prepared can be nearly impossible with most traditional flood defence equipment.
Believe it or not, sandbags - the same sand filled sack that have been used for centuries - are still the primary tool to combat flood waters.
In the recent Queensland floods there was little time to prepare sandbags in advanced as the flooding happened with no notice. The result is that people have been struggling to fill enough sandbags to hold back the flood waters ever since.
And this is the major problem with conventional sandbags - they need to be filled-up in advance with a ready source of sand. While there may be no shortage of sand in Australia, the sandbags were not filled in advance as that would require huge warehouses to store them in, not to mention a fleet of hundreds of trucks to deliver the bulky sandbags to flood hit areas.
This is the reason most areas are unprepared when floods hit.
Instant sandbags are an alternative but equally effective (and in many cases a more effective) method of providing flood protection. The advantage is they are not filled with sand - but water. This means they can be stored flat and filled on-site within minutes - using water, which in a flood is never in short supply.
By having a store of Instant sandbags it is a sure-fire method of ensuring any area is protected from flooding, no matter how little warning the flood waters provide.
