Flexible fencing for flood-hit areas
A Norfolk UK company is making an impact with a new form of flexible fencing that can be quickly deployed and dismounted in flood-hit areas.
Just three months after acquiring the Aquafence distributorship for the UK and Ireland, Floodsense has supplied national construction company, Volker Stevin, with 125 Meters of the fencing.The system has been bought to protect over 600 properties in Todmorden west Yorkshire while Volker Stevin replaces 500 metres of walling which run alongside the River Calder.
There is a long history of flooding in both Walsden and Todmorden. Since 1979, there have been noteworthy events causing significant flooding in September 1982, December 1990, January 1995, June 2000 and January 2008.
As part of the Environment Agency’s £13 million flood alleviation scheme for the town, for which Volker Stevin is the EA’s preferred contractors, a system that could be erected very quickly, was completely movable and had a proven history in flooding events, was paramount.
Floodsense won the bidding. Kevin Williams of Floodsense said: “We are extremely pleased that Volker Stevin chose the Aquafence system as we feel it has many advantages over other movable systems, in that it is completely stand alone, very quick and easy to install, flexible and versatile, ideal for this type of construction work.”
AquaFence is regarded as a cost-effective transportable flood protection barrier that can be rapidly deployed, prior to or even during heavy rain and severe weather when there is a recognised danger of flooding.
After the rain, sea or river water has receded the flood barrier can be easily dismantled and stored ready for the next flood event. Flood events and severe weather around the world are rising in numbers and in our changing climate, the problem is getting worse.
Insurance premiums are rocketing and the pressure is on to provide flood protection that works, on time and to budget.
Preparation is key for organisations, businesses, local authorities and governments tasked with emergency management and response, where securing property and negating the risk to human life during flood events are the top priorities.
AquaFence is generally used away from property, for river banks and sea defence, although its flexible design means an AquaFence flood barrier can be used almost anywhere from whole streets and towns to farms and gateways.
