Nigel Grimsley, Managing Director of OTT Hydrometry is urging those responsible for flood prevention and management to take action this summer to ensure they are protected before the arrival of severe weather. “Saturated soil and blocked channels contribute to the severity of flooding, but in many cases it is the location and intensity of rainfall that contributes to the speed with which flooding occurs. Early warning of intense rainfall events or blocked channels is therefore essential. Recent advances in technology mean that it is now relatively simple and low cost to set up advanced warning systems so that appropriate measures can be taken quickly and effectively,” he says.
“The early implementation of prevention and mitigation measures provides essential protection for valuable assets. For example, on a small scale, we have installed water level monitors in village streams that are prone to flooding during intense rain or when channels become blocked. On a larger scale, we have supplied 153 monitoring stations for the Harris County Flood Warning System in Texas, where flooding represents a major threat to life and property, so early warning of intense rainfall and rising water levels provide opportunities for mitigation and where necessary, evacuation.”
OTT’s latest flood warning systems are said to provide easy access to monitoring data from PCs and smartphones. However, crucially, says the firm, they are also able to automatically issue text or email alarms when rainfall or water levels approach dangerous levels, so that timely action can be taken.
