Flood-Fighting Structures Demonstration and Evaluation Program: Laboratory and Field Testing in Vicksburg, Mississippi

摘要

Within the United States, sandbags have traditionally been the product of choice for temporary, barrier type flood-fighting structures. However, sandbag structures are labor intensive and time consuming to construct. Therefore, a need exists for more expedient, cost effective, temporary barrier type flood-fighting technologies. In 2004, Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to devise real-world testing procedures for Rapid Deployment Flood Wall (RDFW) and other promising alternative flood- fighting technologies. In response to that directive, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) developed a comprehensive laboratory and field-testing program for RDFW and two other flood-fighting products. Those two products, Portadam and Hesco Bastion, were selected on technical merit from proposals submitted by companies who manufacture temporary, barrier type flood- fight products. A standard sandbag structure was also tested in both the laboratory and field to provide a baseline by which the other products could be evaluated. During 2004, laboratory and field testing was conducted in Vicksburg, MS, under stringent testing protocols. The lab testing was conducted in a modified wave basin at ERDC. The field testing was conducted at the Vicksburg Harbor. The lab and field protocols included both performance parameters and operational parameters. These tests will provide the flood-fighting community results that will assist in the selection of the product that best fits their temporary, barrier type flood-fighting needs.