Reliable Flash Flood Alert with KELLER System
The U.S. National Weather Service records weather related fatalities, defined by the
particular weather condition.
In 2013, the NWS reported 82 fatalities over 21 states related to flash and river flooding.
Of these 82, 45% occured in a vehicle, likely trying to cross flooded roadways.
Life-Threatening Weather Conditions
The U.S. National Weather Service records weather related fatalities, defined by the
particular weather condition.
In 2013, the NWS reported 82 fatalities over 21 states related to flash and river flooding.
Of these 82 cases, 45% happened in a vehicle, likely trying to cross flooded roadways.
In one case in a municipality in southern California, a vehicle was swept away resulting
in the death of the driver. The incident occurred on a bridge, which is frequently washed
over by flash flood waters during periods of heavy rain, surprising unsuspecting motorists.
A subsequent lawsuit cost the city nearly $500,000 in settlement.
Inefficient Manual Solutions
At the time of the accident, city workers were tasked with driving to the roadway site to visually
monitor for roadway wash over conditions. When wash over appeared imminent, a crew
would erect barricades to block the roadway. However, as rain/flash flood events often
occurred overnight, or at times when workers might not be available, this method proved
unreliable.
Unpredictable conditions made it difficult to ensure that operating procedures be strictly
followed.
City maintenance managers recognized that an automated solution must be implemented
to reliably alert them to imminent roadway wash overs.
Flood alert by GSM
After extensive online research, city officials identified the KELLER GSM i remote data
transmission unit as a possible solution.
This GSM unit operates by transmitting water level or pressure data over GSM cellular networks. Level data can be collected via a variety of instruments, which provide either standard analog (4-20mA, 0-5 VDC, 0-10VDC, etc.) or digital RS485 i / SDI12 i outputs.
The primary advantage of this system is the ability to send remote alerts to maintenance workers making them aware of the imminent roadway wash overs regardless of the time of day.
After consulting KELLER America, a system including the GSM and an Acculevel submersible level transmitter was specified for installation at key locations prone to flooding. KELLER America provided technical support for the setup, installation, and programming of the system, allowing the responsible city workers to receive an SMS alert indicating rising water. After the implementation, the city transitioned from manually placed, temporary barricades to permanent swinging gates, which close when flash floods occur.
KELLER could offer the National Weather Service a complete solution for the task in hand by combining a precise liquid level sensor, a remote transmission unit and customised software. A system that recognises the signs of flash floods and reports immediately. The crucial points for the National Weather Service were that the product was readily available and it delivered a simple, fast and highly reliable message via SMS.
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