Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the northeast that has been affected by flooding from Hurricane Irene. As of today, there are still 1.1 million people who are without power. As power returns to the areas affected and things slowly get back to normal, clean up from the flooding will be next on their agenda.
During cleanup, it is important to use good safety equipment to protect yourself, and use the right tools to clean out large areas. Flood waters are usually contaminated, care must be take to avoid contact with the dirty water. Used fire hoses are a low-cost, reliable and non-leaking solution to rid flood waters quickly and easily. Here are some ways that a used fire hose can come in handy for these situations:
Pumping
Fire hoses are excellent for moving water, either in one way or another. Utilized for pumping out flood waters of homes, basements, yards, agricultural areas, parking lots, and other spaces will pull a large volume of water quickly from the area. When setting up lines make sure the hoses are secured so they do not move.
Cleaning
Used fire hoses can be used to clean large areas like parking areas, sidewalks, and even crops. In the floods of rural Australia earlier this year, local farmers used fire hoses to clean the silt off their orchards. Fire hoses can be used to wash away mud and debris from areas affected by flooding. Not that dependent on the water pressure you are using, you may need an extra person to help move the hose along when using fire hoses to clean off dirt from the area.
