How to Create a Flood-Free Home?

June 12, 2018 | Created by: Andreas Klippe

A residence in Cabanatuan City experiences flooding and turns to flood specialists for help.

Homes are supposed to be the safest places on earth. It’s where you find comfort and recreation. What if, all of a sudden, your home was ruined by a sudden unexpected flooding?

Ms. Gloria P. Chua, a resident of Cabanatuan City, in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines, was a victim of such a catastrophe. She and her family had to endure a month of being nearly homeless when a flooding incident hit their home.

Location of the Chua’s Residence

Chua’s residence is located in Cabanatuan City, an urban center in a largely agricultural province of Nueva Ecija. The said province, Nueva Ecija, sits on the vast central plains of the Luzon Island.

Luzon is the northernmost of the Philippines’ three major island groups. Because of this location, Luzon is frequently disturbed by weather systems formed in the Pacific Region. The most prevailing weather systems in this part of the Philippines are the monsoon winds and the storms formed over the Pacific Ocean.

Though Nueva Ecija is a sprawling plain, a steep mountain range borders it on its eastern side – the Sierra Madre mountain range. This mountain range is supposed to shield communities from strong winds and storms coming from the Pacific. However, the mountain tops also accumulate rainwater during rainy seasons. When the water cascades down on the mountain’s slopes, they usually empty to the communities that lie on Sierra Madre’s foot.

Such is the situation faced by Chua and her family. They are living in an urban center the topography of which makes its villages susceptible to flooding.

In addition to these topographical features, the drainage systems constructed by government effort are also insufficient to redirect floodwater from communities. Thus, when the Typhoon Lando (international name: Koppu) swept the Philippines on 2015, Chua’s residence was among those that were heavily affected.

How a Flooding Incident Nearly Ruined Chua’s Hard-Earned Assets

Typhoon Lando caused a massive flooding in selected places in the Philippines, including Cabanatuan City. Chua’s residence was among those that sustained immense damages.

In the residence proper, cars that were parked on the garage was submerged in floodwater. The guest house was not spared either – with all its antique furniture sets.

The greatest ordeal was how to clean the thick layer of mud that the floodwater left. Because the flooding also damaged government facilities, there was a temporary suspension of basic utilities, including water. Chua’s household had to clean everything soiled by flooding without a steady water supply. Needless to say, the whole cleaning project lasted for nearly a month.

Flood Protection Goal

When Chua turned to Flood Control Asia RS, Corporation (FCA), its engineers recommend the RS Demountable Flood Barriers as the best solution.

RS Demountable Flood Barriers provide ultimate protection that can easily be dismantled when there is no flooding threat. Such a system works perfectly for homes that need instant and effective yet non-permanent flood control solutions.

FCA engineers installed four RS Demountable Flood Barriers on Chua’s residence. Two of these were deployed on two pedestrian gates, while the other two would work for the two vehicle entrances (garage).

Each of the two barriers installed for the pedestrian gates have a height of 900.00 millimeters. Those two installed on the vehicle entrances had dimensions of 3.00 x 6.60 meters.

When the engineers had successfully protected Chua’s residence, they moved to secure the guest house. All of its entrances were protected with 1.20-meter high flood barriers.

FCA engineers came up with such measurements based on Ms. Chua’s descriptions of the past flooding incidents in Cabanatuan City.

Fast Facts on the Application of RS Demountable Flood Barriers for Homes

Home Owner Name	Ms. Gloria P. Chua
Location	Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
Cause of Flooding	Chua’s residence is located in an urban area that serves as one of the numerous catch basins of the Sierra Madre mountain range. The Philippines’ rainy (wet) season is characterized by strong monsoon rains and storms. When Typhoon Lando (international name: Koppu) hit the Philippines in 2015, Chua’s community suffered from intense flooding incidents. The city’s faulty drainage system worsened the problem, as they could not successfully redirect floodwater from the streets to its proper draining pit (tank).
Damages Brought by Flooding	A guest house, with its sets of antique furniture, was covered with thick mud. A car parked in the residential garage was submerged in floodwater. Water services were temporarily suspended and the household had to do the cleaning under this condition.
Applied Flood Protection	RS Demountable Flood Barrier Four flood barriers were installed on Chua’s residence – two 900-meter high flood barriers for each of the pedestrian entrances and another two 3.00 x 6.60 meter flood barriers for each of the vehicle entrances. All entrances in the guest house were secured with 1.20-meter high flood barriers.
Result of Installing Flood Protection	Chua’s home and her guest house was spared from the heavy flooding that resulted from the continuous rains in July 2017.

Successful Protection from Flood

In July 2017, heavy rains poured throughout the Philippines’ Central Luzon and National Capital Regions. The heavy rains resulted to a flash flood that submerged communities, including those in Cabanatuan City.

Chua’s household quickly assembled the flood barriers on the entrances, and this quick response saved her properties from another possible destruction.