HESCO® Flood and Storm Barriers

HESCO® flood and storm barriers are used around the world to defend against threats posed by extreme flood events. Designed, tested and proven to stand strong against nature’s fiercest storms, hurricanes and seasonal floods.

The innovative company of the original Concertainer® MILTM units, have been on the ground, knee deep, with sleeves rolled up, ready to fight off the next barrage of torrential rain and hurricane winds and from this hands-on experience are able to present the best in flood protection.

Emergency Flood Response: 2011 Flood, Bangkok

During the 2011 monsoon season, Thailand witnessed its worst flooding in 50 years as flood waters withdrew from the Northern Provinces in Thailand and began to submerge districts of Bangkok.

The authorities in Thailand battled to manage the flow of floodwater passing through the city and maintaining access to the Din Daeng Highway, Bangkok’s principle road, became a primary concern and with the threat imminent; a rapid solution was paramount.

HESCO Technical Support Team where on the ground providing counsel and began the deployment of a one meter high HESCO flood barrier; over 5,000 meters of flood barrier deployed in 36 hours, to create a dry, safe access and egress route for emergency services, and if needed, for mass evacuation of the city.

HESCO flood barrier protecting the Din Daeng Highway

The protective wall kept the highway open and made it possible for Bangkok to remain a functioning city throughout the flooding. Unfortunately, in areas where flood mitigation plans hadn’t yet been enforced, the flood waters left a wake of devastation including Bangkok’s Industrial Areas, totally submerging the seven major sites, having an economic effect on not only Thailand but also the global market, with an estimated damage to plants and equipment alone, costing more than $30 billion. After the flood event, the protection of commercial properties was a vital objective.

The Royal Thai Government, in conjunction with the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), issued a tender to find the most suitable product to mitigate any future disaster, and HESCO Flood Barriers and CART rapid deployment delivery systems were chosen.

CART

CART is specially engineered to achieve rapid protection in emergency situations; dispensing pre-connected HESCO flood units from a specially engineered platform, towed by one of a wide range of 4 x 4 towing vehicles.

CART dispenses standard or recoverable Storm Lined units and 88m of product can be deployed in as little as 60 seconds. This allows for multiple flood barriers to be instantly constructed without the need for building frames or digging foundations. Corners can be created and the flood wall can ascend elevated areas and cross undulated ground easily without the need for specialist tradesmen or equipment.

This innovative design enables workers to begin filling meters of flood barrier immediately, reducing the construction time, which is critical in emergencies especially when essential infrastructure is in danger.

After the flood event: Clean up

With deployments in varying environments from farmland to intensely populated cities, HESCO Engineers understand clean recovery, after the flood event, is just as crucial to any flood defense operation.

New to the Flood Defense portfolio are JACKBOX™ and the Recovery Frame.

HESCO Flood Defense JACKBOX

JACKBOX is a light and highly flexible flood-wall solution. An 80ft wide barrier made from JACKBOX can be cleared away by one person and manual handling equipment in under 35 minutes and is completely recyclable.

Recovery frame is a specially engineered, adjustable recovery frame designed to remove a wide range of flood and storm barriers, reducing man-hours on site; once attached the frame will lift the barrier away from the fill material, enabling quick and compact recovery of units.

Evacuation: Temporary Shelter

Some natural disasters, no matter what preparations are in place, are uncontainable and the only viable option is to evacuate. Should this happen, HESCO Accommodation Bunker (HAB) is a safe haven solution, specially engineered for ease of build with basic tools and can house eight people or be easily adapted for infield medical facilities.

HESCO Accomodation Bunker (HAB)

Training and Support

Equipment and manpower can be a limited resource during emergency response operations therefore the HESCO Technical Support Team are regularly seen on the ground, delivering training and support to the mission, either providing technical support at planning phase or on the ground, knee deep in the construction phase.

Long-term flood defenses: Wetland Restoration

HESCO Research and Development Team understand the value and importance of wetland restoration. In response to the increasing storm damage threatening wetlands each year, Hesco have developed the Delta Faced unit; a protective wall tailored to aid in the recovery and restoration of wetlands.

The lined rear cells are filled with locally sourced material to anchor the units and allow the planting of natural foliage. The unit helps dissipate the energy from waves and storm surge, giving the plant filled sections time to take root and eventually the units are completely concealed and a natural landscape has formed.

Large areas of new or re-created marshland can be protected by a relatively small Delta installation.

The Nature Conservancy, Alabama, USA, needed to protect an existing shoreline in Mobile Bay, along an area known as the “Swift Tract.” In order to protect this shoreline a submerged breakwater was created using HESCO units. These units had their inner cells filled with rock and their outer faces filled with oyster shell. The nutrient volume was increased significantly, forming a thick oyster bed and a creating a sustainable self-growing protection system.

Delta Units have also been installed at the University of New Orleans Coastal Research Center, creating a protective and living barrier along an eroded shoreline.

The HESCO units were filled with dredge material and then planted with Spartina Grass, the native marsh vegetation, oyster shells were then placed in the units’ front compartments to encourage and create natural habitat. After only a year the natural vegetation had grown over the units, creating a natural flood barrier.

The versatility and simplicity of HESCO protective barriers has seen the technology utilized from perimeter walls to in-field medical centres, temporary shelter to flood barriers. All HESCO products are synonymous with protection; whether you’re standing behind one of our barriers or sheltering in one of our bunkers, you can stand strong in the knowledge you are protected.