New Effington Gets Emergency Sandless Sandbag Deliveries during South Dakota Flooding
FloodSax™ sandless sandbags deployed in effort to keep New Effington Elementary School Dry
July 18, 2011 – Watertown, SD – In an all-out effort to keep the last viable New Effington, South Dakota, traffic route open and protect the town’s only elementary school, town officials deployed a new tool in their battle with the flood waters – biodegradable sandless sandbags.
City officials of New Effington including Mayor Darlene Miller, City Council Member Scott Bostrom, and New Effington Fire Chief Doug Gutzmer were on hand to receive a new kind of alternative sandbag: self-activating sandless sandbag flood defense system. Representatives of FloodSax® delivered 280 sandless sandbags in 14 cases and worked with residents of New Effington to properly deploy the dry sandbags along County Road 8 to absorb and block the waters from the Red River watershed from washing out the roadway.
“We’ve got lots of water, and there’s no where for it to go.” said Mayor Miller, “We’ve got all this rain, and when it broke open, it broke open.”
FloodSax® uses a proprietary biodegradable polymer that absorbs water to form a sandless sandbag. Delivered as a flat one-pound sack, they absorb up to 45 pounds of fresh water in five minutes, forming a dense gel that blocks and redirects water, while forming to each other or adjacent structures for a tighter fit than traditional sandbags. Because they are stored dry, they are cleaner, lighter, more effective and easier to use in the places and times when sandbags are most needed.
The situation in New Effington has been changing fast, with more rain expected over the next several days. Unlike traditional sandbags, 280 of the FloodSax® alternative sandbags were able to be deployed to New Effington in a standard sedan, making protection against rising floodwaters faster and easier than traditional burlap or polypropylene bags.
“The situation in New Effington really highlights the advantages of FloodSax® as a sandbag alternative,” said Rod Redline, of FloodSax® Americas. “The 1 pound dry weight and flat size of FloodSax®, meant New Effington emergency responders were able to get the protection in place to redirect rising water faster and more easily than would have been possible with traditional sandbags.”
About FloodSax USA
FloodSax® Americas, LLC is the exclusive distributor of the FloodSax® Flood Defense System in North and South America and the Caribbean. FloodSax® is the sandless sandbag that is revolutionizing the way homeowners, businesses and governmental agencies prevent and reduce damage from floodwaters. At only one pound, FloodSax® avoid the storage, transport and placement problems of traditional sandbags, keep water at bay for 3 months, and are 100% biodegradable. More information is available at http://www.floodsax.us.com
About Environmental Defence Systems Limited
Environmental Defence Systems Limited (EDS Ltd.), a leading developer and manufacturer of flood defense systems is based in the United Kingdom. Its award-winning products have protected homes, businesses and strategic assets throughout the world. EDS Ltd won the National Gold Winner 2007 for Products in the Green Apple Environment Awards for its Floodsax® sandless sandbag, placing it among the best examples of environmental best practice and sustainable development as demonstrated by Local Authorities, Commercial & Industry and Communities – both in the UK and around the world.