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<br /> <br />Chapter V. <br />Programs of Flood Proofing <br /> <br />Under the general guidelines discussed in the previous chapters, the flood proofing <br />of each building must be separately examined, since the approach and measures required <br />will differ for each structure. Also, the flood proofing program for a particular building <br />may consist of several types of measures--permanent, contingent, and emergency--as <br />discussed in Chapter II. <br />A realistic level of protection can be determined when the building owner or manager, <br />his architect and his engineer recognize the nature of the flood situation in their locality, <br />the strengths and weaknesses of the structure, and the condition of the soil under and <br />around the foundation. <br />The various aspects of a flood proofing program are discussed. in this chapter. The <br />illustrations presented are examples of flood proofing measures that have been installed <br />as parts of protection programs for existing buildings. <br /> <br />A Standard Operating Procedure <br /> <br />Any individual or organization undertaking a contingent or emergency protection pro- <br />gram must have a standard operating procedure to carry out the flood proofing measures <br />when the need arises. Some buildings can be "buttoned up" in a short time while others <br />may take considerably longer. The time element will depend upon the number of actions <br />involved, the complexity of the program, the number of employees available, their under- <br />standing of the program, and their ability to handle assigned tasks. Figure 22 reproduces <br />a portion of the flood proofing procedure which is used by the Pittsburgh Press. Order <br />and advance planning are important factors. Each flood proofing system should have a <br />timetable or check list keyed to flood stages. The call out of manpower and the assigned <br />actions of work crews can follow a mobilization schedule which corresponds to the rise <br />of the flood waters. <br />The flood proofing system should be designed so that it may be put into operation as <br />quickly and as simply as possible. Flood shields, doors and hatches may have to be <br />handled during the most adverse weather conditions (perhaps during the stormy weather <br />which causes the flood), so lightweight metals should be used wherever possible. <br />Flood proofing items including bolts, gaskets, caulking, timbers, and flood shields <br />should be stored for easy access. The larger more bulky items should be stored close <br />to the point of insertion and when possible in such a manner that they can be easily slid <br />or dropped into position. One lost or improperly mounted flooo shield, or the failure to <br />valve off a sewer, can undo an otherwise perfect plan. Flood shields at the Pittsburgh <br />Press Building have been mounted on the outside walls close to the points where they <br />would be used (Figure 23). As can be seen, a numbering or coding system has been de- <br />veloped so shields can be matched readily to the proper openings. Nuts and bolts for <br />mounting the shields are bagged accordingly. <br /> <br />31 <br />