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Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States, and no part of the country is immune. Heavy rains can lead to flash floods, melting snow can cause rivers to overflow and tropical storms can drench coastal areas.
Fortunately, there are ways for local government officials, industrial facility managers and business owners to guard against the worst of the water damage. Advanced Solutions™ rental service at EquipmentShare™ can provide all the pumps you'll need to limit potential flood damage, as well as generators, dehumidifiers and other equipment to clean up afterward. Perhaps more importantly, EquipmentShare’s experts can work with you in advance to create a plan that maps out exactly what equipment you’ll need for any scenario.
“By partnering with EquipmentShare, organizations can not only mitigate the impact of disasters but also ensure the continuity of essential services, ultimately enhancing community safety and well-being," said Curt Hogancamp, EquipmentShare’s national program manager for Advanced Solutions.
Long-term planning
Check your location’s flood risk
You can check the flood risk of a location by visiting the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and typing in the address. Any place with a 1% or higher chance of flood each year is considered high risk. But keep in mind that extreme rains can swamp seemingly safe areas, so it’s wise to create a flood preparation plan and update it annually.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers an online tool to help you build a basic emergency plan or identify the holes in your current plan.
Safeguard at-risk infrastructure
A study by the nonprofit First Street Foundation estimated that 25% of the USA’s critical infrastructure is at risk of failing in a flood. Of particular concern for municipal officials across the nation is wastewater infrastructure. Sewer systems rely on gravity — with a little help from pump stations — to get wastewater to its final destination, so treatment plants are generally built near bodies of water in low-lying areas. That makes them vulnerable.
Clogged interceptor pipes or overwhelmed pump stations can cause disastrous sewage spills. Hogancamp said Advanced Solutions pump-and-power experts can partner with city officials to develop plans for worst-case scenarios.
“If you take the time to create a contingency plan for your critical infrastructure, it’s going to limit the confusion when you really can’t afford confusion, it’s going to ensure you get the correct equipment and it’s going to save time,” Hogancamp said. “When an emergency happens, you’re not going to have to verify flows or power loads or anything like that. You can just call EquipmentShare, and you already know what model of pump you need, how much hose you need and where suction is being taken from and discharged to. You’re going to get an engineered system that’s going to work when you really need it.”
Pick the right pumps
The pumps most commonly used for floods break down into two broad categories — centrifugal and submersible.
Centrifugal pumps
They use an impeller to create suction that draws water through an intake hose and then pushes it out a discharge hose. The size of the pump is determined by the diameter of the inlet and outlet where the water comes and goes, and the most common sizes are 4 and 6 inches. Centrifugal pumps can run on diesel or electric power. A few common uses for centrifugal pumps in storm-related flood preparation are protecting the containment dikes around refineries or the levees around low-lying towns.
Submersible pumps
Unlike centrifugal pumps, they are dropped directly into the fluid they’re removing. An impeller sucks the water into the pump and pushes it out of a discharge hose. Submersible pumps can run on electric or hydraulic power. Submersibles can pump water farther vertically than centrifugals, so they are often used when you need to lift water more than 25 feet. Common uses are for well pumping and suctioning flooded basements and excavations.
EquipmentShare’s experts can help you connect your pumps with float switches and level transducers that automatically turn the pumps on and off based on the water level. Because every EquipmentShare rental machine is outfitted with T3™ technology, you can monitor your pumps remotely from your phone or laptop and receive alerts when pumps are running low on fuel or diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).
Consider the logistics
You not only need to make sure you have the right pumps for the job, you also have to ensure you have the right equipment and environment to deploy them. The bigger the pump, the more complicated the logistics.
That’s why it’s helpful to talk over all the details with an EquipmentShare expert.
“Common 4- and 6-inch pumps can be easily towed behind a pickup truck, and you can manhandle the hose for flood mitigation or pump stations,” Hogancamp said. “When you start getting into 8-inch and bigger pumps, it’s preferable to have some piece of machinery — a backhoe, excavator or forklift — to set them up. And when you’re talking about high-flow pumps, you might need 30,000-pound excavators to place them. Some of the bigger pumps we have are 12,000 or 15,000 pounds. You need to have a substantial machine to pick that up and set it in place.
“The big thing is, what are the physical site conditions? Do we have access? Are there overhead power lines we have to be aware of if we have to place large equipment? So it’s getting the full scope of the project and what the restrictions are, so we can engineer a solution for them that’s going to work without any hiccups.”
After the flood
Water damage restoration
When you can safely return to your business, jobsite and home, make every effort to dry out flooded structures as soon as possible. You’re in a race against mold.
“Depending on the weather, you generally have two to five days,” Hogancamp said.
Advanced Solutions specialists can help you find pumps to remove the water, as well as the dehumidifiers, air scrubbers, air movers and fans to dry damp spaces.
“Sometimes there are major power outages that go with these events, and people don’t get power back for a week or two,” Hogancamp said. “You need to be able to not only supply the air movers and dehumidification equipment, but also you need generators to supply the power to run all that equipment — all of which we can help you with.”
Prepare for whatever challenges nature brings with help from EquipmentShare. Get started with an online pump rental.
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