Flood protection expert The Flood Company has recently completed an installation of a heavy duty flood mitigation solution for nationwide supermarket Sainsbury’s at its store in Carlisle.
The flood mitigation firm was tasked with surveying the site, designing an aesthetically pleasing solution and installing flood prevention measures after the store was forced to close for several weeks as a result of flooding following Storm Desmond in 2015.
The supermarket chain was left with a multi-million pound insurance claim following the disaster, which also saw its insurers threaten to increase its premium or even withdraw flood cover altogether, should preventative measures not be implemented to protect from future flooding.
To provide a solution that matched the current appearance of Sainsburys supermarkets, The Flood Company says it came up with an innovative Buffalo Panel System, which was retro-fitted to the building and creates an exterior flood proof seal. In addition the firm installed Buffalo Glass, which provides a visually appealing barrier for use in public areas, as well as a Buffalo HD Barrier System around doors and loading bays.
The panels are made from rigid, sealed aluminium, and can be fixed over the existing cladding of the building.
In addition to these three types of barriers, The Flood Company also installed secondary pumps and control systems which control the flow of water and create a secondary line of defence for the store. The design creates a systems which is 95% passive, which means that only doors and loading bays require manual operation to implement, and can be done in under an hour by four members of staff.
The complete system minimises down time for the store in a flood event, and satisfied the insurer to re-insure the site.
On the successful installation, James Ruddiman, Sales Director at The Flood Company commented:
“We’re delighted to have been involved in this project, and we’re confident that the solution we have installed will protect the store from damage in the event of future flooding.
“We know just how disastrous flooding can be to a business, not just in terms of loss in revenue, but also with the loss of assets as well as the cost of staff, and clearing up the aftermath. By installing flood mitigation products, businesses can ensure fast business continuity once flooding has subsided.”
