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/ Technology News / 2007 / September 2007 / September 2, 2007 Soon, air-dropped, self-filling water bladders to fix levee breeches |
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Dams formed of metal tripods and self-filling water bladders could be air-dropped to rapidly repair levees breached by storm damage, according to a new study by US researchers.
London, Sept 2 : Dams formed of metal tripods and self-filling water bladders could be air-dropped to rapidly repair levees breached by storm damage, according to a new study by US researchers.
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in August 2005, the levees created to protect the city from flooding were breached and the resulting deluge left 80 percent of the city underwater.
Scientists say should a similar disaster strike the US again, these makeshift dams, dropped from the air, could be used to prevent any resulting flood from happening.
The structures, resembling tripods, could be dropped into the gap left by a levee breach.
After securing the legs to the riverbed, empty water bladders would be dropped in the river just in front of the structure, slightly upstream. These tube-shaped bags would then fill themselves with water using internal pumps and fit into the gaps in the structure.
Mary Ellen Hynes, director of research for critical infrastructure at the US Department of Homeland Security, who is leading the project, said the self-filling bladders, which were originally developed by the US Department of Defence as temporary jetties, could also be used to protect cities from storm surges.
The tubes could be dropped into estuaries downstream of a city, just before a storm hit, to prevent water from rushing up the river and causing flooding, she said.
Robert Bea of the University of California at Berkeley said the idea could prove very useful, assuming the bladders can be kept securely in place.
He said the water bladders could have two important advantages over the type of sandbag air-dropped in to fix the levees in New Orleans in 2005.
Firstly, they would be able to plug a breach more quickly, and secondly, they would also be fairly easy to remove, he said.
However, he also advocated rebuilding natural defences, such as beaches and wetlands, for long-term protection.
He told New Scientist that engineered solutions should only be seen as a short-term fix.
ANI
