Big Bags USA

Protect your business from flooding in 2014 The Big Bags USA Systems team would like to share some good information from FEMA about how to protect your business from flooding and other natural disasters.  For more info, go to http://www.fema.gov/protect-your-property-or-business-disaster Protect your business from all natural hazards: Install a Generator for Emergency Power Power outages are commonplace during disasters, and they may last for several days. As a result, even businesses that are not severely damaged can suffer losses because of the interruption of normal operations or the loss of perishable stock. You can reduce these losses and speed the recovery process by installing an emergency generator. First, determine which systems and equipment are essential to the continued operation of your business. They may include one or more of the following: * Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems * Industrial equipment and major appliances, su...

Don't wait to clean up after a flood hits, prepare now Here at Big Bags USA , we're all about preparation.  Although we made it through hurricane season, the winter months can also bring rainy weather which increases the chances of a flood.  Tragedy and large expenses associated with flooding could be avoided if communities plan ahead.  Besides purchasing flood insurance, there are many things you can do to get yourself and your community ready for when disaster hits.  Here is a great resource we found at www.floodsmart.gov .  Check out their tips on flood preparation below: 1. Safeguard your possessions.  Find a secure place to store all of your important documents, such as a safe deposit box or waterproof lock-box.  In addition to your typical documents, be sure to have a copy of your insurance policies, finance records and receipts for any major purchases.  For insurance purposes, it is important to keep a household inventory in writ...

Shoreline erosion can ruin your home or business! We recently came across some interesting facts via the official website of Delaware State that we wanted to share with you.  Shoreline erosion for the East Coast and other areas of the US is a continuing problem as our oceans continues to rise every year.  This erosion can quickly threaten your home or other property, particularly in times of storm surge.  Here are some highlights from the website: Shoreline erosion is the temporary or permanent loss of sand from the beach or dune systems. Although sea level rise is not thought to cause significant beach erosion in itself, higher water levels in combination with wind-driven waves can cause severe erosion. Storms are major causes of shoreline erosion, though storm-induced erosion is rather temporary or local in nature. Man-made structures like groins, jetties, and sea walls also can contri...

Disadvantages of using Sand Bags in a Flood Traditional sand bags have been used for many years as a temporary flood protection barrier by many communities.  These communities often find out that sandbagging is one of the most labor intensive ways to mitigate flood damage.  Often, injuries also occur when creating the massive amount of sand bags needed to stop the water.  Many relief workers are also exhausted from building sand bag barriers and can not be used for other efforts until they recover.   We came across a video from North Dakota State University that illustrates the challenges of traditional sandbagging.  The first 30 seconds says it all! Big Bags USA system in comparison With the Big Bags USA system, communities now have a solution for flood prevention and mitigation that is far safer, much faster, and can be setup with a fraction of the manpower required.  This allows communities the flexibility to utilize relief workers an...

Image from http://www.nytimes.com The Netherlands - Centuries of Flood Prevention The Big Bags USA team came across a very interesting NY Times article from November of 2012 and we wanted to share some highlights.  The Netherlands is one of the most flood prone countries in the world and the Dutch can offer some valuable lessons and insight for flood prevention in the USA. Radical reshaping of American Flood response needed As stated in the article, the Dutch "“way of thinking is completely different from the U.S.,” where disaster relief generally takes precedence over disaster avoidance, said Wim Kuijken, the Dutch government’s senior official for overall water control policy. “The U.S. is excellent at disaster management,” but “working to avoid disaster is completely different from working after a disaster.” While no hurricanes strike the Netherlands, ferocious storms do, and for centuries the Dutch have held back water with 50,000 miles of dikes. Two-thirds of the...

Prepare your community for the next flooding event Community leaders along with state and county planners have a challenging task preparing to protect their people from natural disasters.  Flooding is by far the most common and damaging event to property and lives for many localities.  Community leaders also struggle with getting the most out of their budgets and often focus on reacting to natural disasters versus preparing for the next one. By preparing and stockpiling supplies to deal with the next flood, lives can be saved, property damage greatly reduced, and tax payer money saved. Traditional sandbags = huge cost in time and money Flood ridden communities have traditionally relied on the sandbag to keep flood waters at bay.  Sand bagging is extremely time consuming and building walls of sandbags require huge amounts of manpower.  Sand bags can be very hard to deploy and redeploy, can rip easily, and may not keep water out of areas that have corners o...

Prepare for the next flood now Many communities who believed they were prepared for flooding often find out after the water hits that they were not as prepared as they thought.  Community leaders are often overwhelmed by the scale of the flood and the impact on lives and property.  By the time state or federal relief efforts arrive, it's often too late to make a big difference in the relief effort. There are some wonderful tools available to help community leaders prepare for the next flooding event.  One great resource can be found at http://www.ready.gov/community-preparedness-toolkit .  "The Community Preparedness Toolkit provides step-by-step directions along with useful resources for making your community, safer, more resilient, and better prepared. The Community Preparedness Toolkit can be used to develop a community-based approach to preparedness, such as a Citizen Corps Council. Citizen Corps is FEMA's grassroots strategy to bring together gove...

Big Bags USA can protect your job site Typically, the Big Bags USA system is brought in when a flood is imminent and protecting lives and property is paramount.  For companies that are conducting long term construction or another long term job, setting the Big Bags USA system in place around the job site will give you the piece of mind that you are protected from flooding at anytime.  You will be assured that your equipment and construction will be safe! Protect your job site from flooding Core Capabilities of the Big Bags USA System Having the Big Bags USA system available for your long term job will allow you: Rapid deployed flood barrier Easy to place coffer dam Stream direction Erosion Control Coastal Erosion Control Blast Barriers for military use Mudslide barriers Levee toppers Above ground water containment Secondary containment barrier for oil spills or hazardous spills Strategic planning Call Big Bags USA! ...

A look back at Sandy - October 2012 One year ago the Atlantic seaboard was slammed by Superstorm Sandy and residents of the East Coast are still feeling her effect.  This "Superstorm" has been classified as the 2nd costliest storm to ever hit the United States of America.  Sandy affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and west across the Appalachian Mountains to Michigan and Wisconsin.  The states of New York and New Jersey were affected with severe damage and a storm surge hit New York City on October 29th flooding streets, tunnels, subway lines and causing widespread power outages both inside and outside the city. Photo by www.telegraph.co.uk Sandy's path and timeline Sandy started as a low pressure system in the Caribbean and intensified to a 115 mph storm making landfall in Cuba.  After turning north toward the Bahamas, Sandy Intensified to a Category 3 storm as it moved up the eastern seaboard.  As Sa...

Protect your Roads with the Big Bags USA System If you have the proper “tools” and resources available, and have an action plan, where everyone involved knows what they have to do, you can protect a long stretch of low-lying roadway or even perimeters around buildings in a very short period of time. It’s action time, your already passed flood stage and you have just been notified the water is still rising.You may have anywhere from 3-6 hours before the flash flooding will close down your high traffic roadways or other areas of importance. Below shows how to maximize the deployment times and save property from damage. 6 Steps to to Deploy Big Bags USA System to protect a road Step 1:  Load the systems on a flatbed truck or trailer. After loaded, head to the 1st location on your plan and start deploying the systems on site. Step 2:   While you are headed to the site, each member including the equipment operators,...

Big Bags USA Systems prove successful in fighting floods When flooding struck an area of Northwest Missouri in 2011, the Missouri Department of Transportation turned to the Big Bags USA System to keep water off the roads .  Crews from the Kansas City District, the former North Central District and the Northwest district of MoDOT worked together to install a two-mile stretch of Big Bags in mid-July on the west side of Route 65 to keep flood waters at bay and the road open. “Using the Big Bags in this case helped us keep the road open, which we know area residents really appreciated,” said Brad Gates, MoDOT Northwest District. Maintenance crews work to install Big Bags to keep flood waters off Route 65. Each Big Bags USA system weighs only 50 pounds when empty, but when deployed they are quickly filled with sand to provide an effective flood barrier .  After doing their job, the bags were removed within a couple of days.  All the sand was then recovered a...

When Deployment time makes the difference in a Flood With the recent partnership with Performance Plus Global Logistics and Global Tranz, the Big Bags USA system is pre-positioned to help your local community if a flooding event happens.  We have stockpiles of our flood protection barrier system located on the East Coast in Edison NJ, and in St Louis Missouri.  We are working with our logistics partners to locate even more inventory in the areas that are needed the most!  Having the Big Bags USA system pre-positioned means that we can quickly get them to your community, get them setup and save both lives and property. Big Bags USA protecting the Midwest Big Bags USA protecting the East Coast Don't wait until it's too late! It is common for some communities to wait for the last second to provide protective measures, or purchase flood barrier supplies that can make a difference in a flood. Some localities believe that waiting until the flood ha...

Partnering with Performance Plus for Logistic support Big Bags USA is happy to announce that we have partnered with Performance Plus Global Logistics for logistic support for the Big Bags USA system.  The Performance Plus Team provides decades of experience in transportation and logistics for our Big Bags USA shipping needs. Their team of professionals bring a diverse background in operations and account management from parcel shipping, LTL to full truckload and ocean shipping. Performance Plus has partnered with the most reliable transportation companies to ensure we can get the Big Bags USA system to where it is needed most! The Big Bags USA system will be prepositioning in locations near flood prone areas such as the Gulf coast, the Atlantic coast, and other areas near major US watersheds.  With Performance Plus Global Logistics, we can improve the availability of our flood protection system to allow even quicker deployment saving both live...

Transforming Spreader Bar The Transforming Spreader Bar is our innovative solution for deployment of protective flood barriers in areas that are considered dangerous or areas with terrain issues that prevent a standard deployment of Big Bags USA sandbags system. This all inclusive Transforming Spreader bar unit was designed with versatility, simplicity and speed in mind. The Transforming Spreader Bar device quickly converts from a single axle pull behind trailer to a Big Bags USA flood barrier lifting system. The product is manufactured in the United States out of high strength reinforced steel.   The Transforming Spreader Bar is both simple and easy to use. Support bars for fork lift and pay loader lifting are incorporated into the design for on the spot positioning and management. The trailer hitch and axle components are removed from the main lifting system with minimal effort by removing the locking pins and safety bolts. Once removed the lifting system may then be...

Big Bags USA Versatility There is a use of the Big Bags USA flood barrier system in any flood or water control situation!  Here are just a few examples of where the Big Bags USA system can protect property or lives: Water retaining (blocking/stopping water in a given area). Levee reinforcement (adding height, blocking breaches, and weak areas). Water re-direction (quick, ease of water re-direction versus conventional sandbags). Sewer outlet plugging (Placing single Big Bags USA flood barrier directly atop sewer grates keeps sewage in the sewage system and stops overflow). Securing the perimeter of a building (Running  a perimeter of Big Bags USA sandbags systems, keeps damage minimized or eliminated and possibly allows the building to continue to be occupied. Protecting a utility or other sensitive area (Surrounding completely, important utilities to any necessary height by stacking Big Bags USA    flood barriers...

Always Ready to Help Local, State, and Federal Agencies! Big Bags USA system Big Bags USA is a system of  5 heavy duty cubic yard bags, connected to form one unit. Each unit can be connected to one another to reach any desired length or height and remain open for filling.  This allows for rapid response and a  s ingle system is 3' wide, 15' long and 40" tall, forming a wall in just a few minutes by 2 men. One system is equal to over 750 regular sandbags and are filled in place in less than 10 minutes. Flood protection system Deployment Depending on deployment, the bags can be filled using any type of equipment: skid steers, back hoes, front end loaders, conveyor belt trucks, crane booms, and even cement mixers with the correct slurry. Simple and fast deployments are the core of effectiveness for the Big Bags USA barriers. Easy to Move Big Bags USA System can be used ANYWHERE The systems can effectively be used most anywhere. The flex...

We're blogging and we're excited about it! Ask for it by name. Big Bags USA is a rapid deployment barrier, an alternative to sandbags.  We are pioneering ideas in disaster prevention and sandbag replacement that are fast, reliable and easy to integrate. Big Bags USA  is designed for the highest demands without straining labor or resources, saving you time and money .  Simple. Fast. Reliable. Deployment is 200 times faster than sandbags. Ground forming. Work on curves & uneven terrain. Sand is reusable, uncontaminated by flood water. Setup is approximately 2 man hours per 1,000 ft. Low-cost and high volume solution! Stream or water diversion, coffer dams, box culverts, levee topping, storm surge and shoreline protection.  In our weekly blog, we'll be sharing details about the incredible Big Bags USA system, as well as resources related to Disaster Relief & Innovative Protec...