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This would be a system of filled plastic
sacks to be used as a portable floodwall.
Each sack would be filled with a heavy
material at bottom (cement or plaster),
filler, neutrally buoyant material in the
middle, and buoyant material at top, so it
rights itself and is easily installed even
in
an area already filled with water. The sack
would be floppy but stable until you
activated the hardening properties of what
are in the buoyant and heavy parts of the
sack: styrofoam and plaster (or cement),
respectively. The middle part of the bag
would be filled with flood supplies such as
food or medical supplies, but the idea
would be that it is a sponsored product.
Products can take advantage of the heat
from chemical reactions in the other parts
of the sack. I don't know about styrofoam
but I know that plaster does heat up in the
process of curing to a hard state.
But the means of motivating the
production of these products is marketing:
each sack is produced and sponsored a
given company, and the filler material of
the sack is filled with whatever their
product is. For example, you'd have a
Nescafe sack that would be filled with
coffee crystals and water (no floodwater
coffee for me please). Ziplock bags of
coffee mugs would be on the dry side of
the bag. To make a batch of coffee you'd
activate the sack's hardening process.
Nescafe would probably want to ensure
that their sack would be next to a sponsor
that offers self-rising biscuits, like
Pilsbury.
Suggestions on other possible sponsors
would be great.
[link]
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Fishbone, sorry. I think this is just going to get in the way of the essential job of getting sandbags (which are dirt cheap, literally) to where they are needed, as fast as poss. If each one has to be broken open and goods distributed, it will slow things down horrendously. |
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That's why it's a half-baked idea, but I
do concede that you're probably right. I
thought it would appeal to corporations
seeking advertising more than anyone
overseeing an emergency relief effort.
The pitch to these companies would be
that they would be getting the best PR
possible, that their company is looking
out for the flood victims in a time of
dire need. Although it's going to
increase the cost of individual bags
incredibly and likely require a different
method of deployment, I think it's good
to think of how corporations can
contribute to such efforts in a gesture
of good will. Not meant as primary
method of flood control. |
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ii thought htis was going to be like the "adopt a highway" program but instead would have been 'adopt a flood barrier' |
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