Flooding and surface water can cause severe disruption to an industry or infrastructure. It is a serious worry for many businesses, and with the Environmental Agency predicting more flooding in years to come, many companies are looking at how they can install or upgrade their flood defence systems.
At Automated Data Management, we offer bespoke systems that can be accessed from anywhere in the world, which provide advance notice of when water levels rise. We explain the importance of an efficient flood defence system and how our GeneSysFM water monitoring systems can assist in preventing damages and losses for a business.
Why Is a Flood Defence System Important to a Business?
As mentioned above, with more floods and storms predicted for the coming years due to climate change, the risk of damage by floods is on the rise. Even if your business is not located close to a large body of water, there is the potential for blocked drains and even internal flooding affecting your property.
The cost to repair a flooded property can be more than just a replacement of stock. Each business is different, and values vary, but several costs are generally involved for a company property after being flooded.
- Replacement carpets and soft furnishings
- Replacing the flooring due to excessive swelling or wood rot over time
- Replacing the fixtures and fittings (such as doors and windows) due to floating objects causing damage.
- Electrical rewires and safety testing
- Replacements for water-damaged equipment
This small list is just a few of the issues caused by floods, but there is also the re-plastering, the safety checks of the structure of the building and most importantly, the cost of having a business close whilst the necessary repairs are carried out. Although a building may be insured, having an efficient flood defence system with advance notice of rising issues can significantly reduce the closure of a business by weeks.
In addition, if your business is situated near a lake, river or large body of water, a prior warning of any potential flooding could be essential for preventing damage to your property and the safety of any customers and staff.
The Benefits of Flood Monitoring Technology for Your Flood Defence
Although having the correct flood defence relies on equipping your business with the means to prevent flood water from entering the property, these will only save your business if you are aware before flooding occurs. Once the water has entered your property, it has already begun causing damage and any efforts after such are preventing the situation from escalating.
A remote water level monitoring system can provide real-time data on ongoing situations affecting your property. For example, suppose you own a café on the bank of a beautiful riverside. In that case, a wireless monitoring system can continuously track the movement and depth of the river, allowing you to know when you may require further action to prevent basement flooding from affecting your business.
Our bespoke systems can be set to perimeters of your choice and will offer alerts for when levels reach a significant amount. For example, our flood monitoring system can be set to 5mm to 10m values. Once the parameter set has been breached, our early flood warning systems can alert key personnel, who can initiate the required actions to protect your business from water damage.
Advantages of a Remote Monitoring System
The real-time data from our water level monitoring system is retrievable remotely from any location. All you need to access the information from our wireless monitoring system is a digital device with an internet connection. This technology offers business owners, managers or administrators the flexibility to assess the business property from anywhere at any time and provides peace of mind that the property is at no risk whilst away from the location.
The quicker you can activate the physical defence of your flood defence, the more protection you can offer your property. An efficient flood defence system may also improve your building or contents insurance, which is always worth mentioning when it is time for renewal.
Equipment to Help Prevent Flood Damage
Our systems can provide a prior warning to businesses subject to flooding, allowing significant personnel to activate an array of measures to further protect the property from being damaged by a flood.
If you haven’t already got a flood defence system in place, there are several ways to protect your property from water damage.
Understand your property’s flood risk. Every property and location is different; some properties are in lower lying flood land than others. However, every business could be subject to floods through drainage issues. Awareness of your business situation allows easy preparation for addressing it.
Create a flood defence plan. Once you know your business situation, creating an efficient strategy is essential. Whether this requires evacuation of the property or simply moving valuable stock to higher floors, this could be vital in protecting your business content and assets.
Consider the designs of your property. Suppose your business is at serious risk of regular flooding. In that case, external surveys could assist in pinpointing vulnerable entry points of the building and working with contractors, and you could ensure these areas are watertight. Additionally, ensure that anything that would cost significantly in the event of a flood is on a first-level floor.
Purchase barriers against flooding. There are many flood barriers available to buy online, from inflatable “socks”, which help prevent water from entering under doorways and shutters to sandless flood sacks, which absorb water to expand and block off areas much like a sandbag would.
Improve Your Flood Defence Efficiency With ADM
Working with you and your company, we can install a wireless system to provide you with any alerts you may need to activate your flood defence. With a bespoke system that works with your business, you may never have to worry about flooding affecting your business. These can be installed to work alongside our other GeneSys programs to improve overall efficiency. Our systems can assist with the following;
Wireless temperature monitoring
For further information on any of our systems, you can enquire online, and one of our expert team members will get back to you.
