Flood Control America, LLC. INVISIBLE Flood Control WallTM A Permanent Solution to a Temporary Problem

The Plight Flooding leaves in its wake a traumatized and a stunned community of people daunted by what needs to be rebuilt and what can never be replaced. One of nature’s most destructive forces, a flood can result in the devastating loss of loved ones, jobs, property, and security.

The Plight Compounding the misery, concrete walls or huge earth levees can erase a community’s well-established identity. When important sites – like museums, parks, and historical structures are lost, it can severely damage a town’s culture, charm, character, history and riverfront heritage.

The Solution The Invisible Flood Control WallTM by FCA effectively protects with a revolutionary combination of 21st- Century technology and easy manageability. Professionally-engineered, patented, tested and certified, the IFCWTM system is durable, expandable, and easy to install.

The IFCWTM Solution When compared to unsightly permanent concrete walls, sandbags, and urban earth levees, the IFCWTM is the most-effective, least-intrusive method by far. Considering all impacts of traditional flood control, the IFCWTM is convenient, eye-pleasing and cost-effective.

Benefits of an IFCWTM System U.S. Army Corps of Engineers analyzed and accepted (COE Districts Rock Island, Memphis, Louisville, and St. Paul) Scored #1 with an A grade in COE-commissioned study to analyze “Innovative Alternatives to Conventional Levees for Flood Protection” Tested and user-proven flood protection for urban environments. Lightweight components achieve speed in erection at flood time w/o heavy equipment. “Off the shelf” components. Additional components may be purchased quickly and economically. Project design and build costs are considerably lower than the alternatives. Allows for the development of riverside property, thus growing municipal tax base, while providing Corps of Engineers-defined and FEMA-mandated flood protection levels.

The Wall The IFCWTM is backed by case study and proven experience, and consists of these quality-ensured components: Hollow, light-weight aluminum planks Vertical parting supports Continuous, weather-proof rubber seals Sliding, vertical-locking angles Lock-down clamps Sill plates Anchor bolts Concrete foundation

The Process Packed on pallets or stacked on shelving after flood waters have receded, the IFCWTM restores the surrounding landscape’s beauty, while remaining ready for use when flood waters threaten. A working crew of three people can install 1200 square feet in two hours.

The Demonstration Wall Our permanent demonstration wall is located north of Scranton, PA.  Public officials can see the Invisible Flood Control WallTM in flood stage erection and operation.  The demo IFCWTM is located in the northern climate to answer questions of icing and performance.  The wall shown here is being "tough tested" at a height of 14' while exposed to sub-freezing temperatures of 20 degrees.

The Demonstration Wall The test wall consists of FCA's typical 20' sill-plate mounting with intermediate and vertical parting supports.  To create the water pressure, two large "I" beams are erected as the end containers.  A double-sided IFCW™ is erected with sealed aluminum planks and the created void is filled with water.  The pressures exerted are identical to floodwaters.

How It Works - The IFCW’s ™ patented, hollow aluminum planks utilize interlocking mating surfaces that tightly “stack” on top of a concrete-embedded sill plate. Note (in photo) that the planks are fully sealed horizontally. Each plank weighs a mere five pounds per foot, so two workers can easily handle up to a 20’ length. This achieves greater stability and "working weight". The plank weight more than doubles when filled with water. Note the internal baffle spanning the aluminum plank. This effectively doubles the strength of the component.

How It Works - continued For an IFCW™ over 8' in height, pin-mounted diagonal braces are positioned on both the intermediate and parting supports to provide additional support. A pin-connected floating foot is threaded to accept the tension rod for adjusting the parting supports. The last steps are tightening down the vertical parting support anchor bolts and adjusting vertical hold-down clamps over the top of the last aluminum plank. The vertical hold-down clamps squeeze the horizontal seals tightly into the plank mounting surfaces.

How It Works - continued During construction, both the vertical imbeds and metal sill plate are embedded in the reinforced concrete foundation. Molded deep into the concrete foundation are threaded anchors which align with holes in the steel sill plate. As the construction process continues, the metal sill plate is cast in concrete. Anchor bolts are then threaded into the anchors to erect the vertical intermediate and parting supports.

How It Works - continued The base plank is tightly sealed in three places (as shown in photo): on the underside of the plank, on the horizontal “dry-side” mating surface, and on the dry-side flange of the vertical parting support. When installed, the bottom plank has a "snug fit" preset. After subsequent planks are stacked into place, the slotted vertical locking angles are pulled down into a set position. This pulling action forces the plank to a tight contact with the vertical seal. Rising floodwater further presses the plank into the vertical seal.

How It Works - continued Vertical parting supports are aligned and fastening bolts are loosely installed into anchors in the foundation. The next sequential step is installing the base aluminum plank, thereby establishing the "dry side" orientation of the IFCW™.

Cities Using The IFCW™ Breckenridge, MN Seattle, WA Little Rock, AK -Rocky Mount, NC East Grand Forks, MN Shelby, OH Cedar Falls, IA Louisville, KY Cairo, IL Fargo, ND (FEMA partnered) Additionally, the IFCW™ is installed extensively in Europe in such cities as Venlo, Holland and Dusseldorf, Germany

Additional Applications – Flood Proofing: NEW AND EXISTING STRUCTURES The Invisible Flood Control Wall™ is a simple, low-cost answer for flood proofing in repetitive loss situations within 100-year floodplains. Repetitive losses are an enormous loss/cost for preexisting buildings.  To this point solutions have been few, complicated and expensive to build with dubious results.  Furthermore, buyouts in repetitive flood zones are consuming hundreds of millions of federal dollars annually while depleting the municipal tax base.

Additional Applications – Rail Road Crossings Innovative track sealing system fits rail profile. No need for permanent heavy swinging steel gates and the many problems associated with that design.

Award Winning *FCA receives prestigious Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers "Seven Wonders of Engineering in Minnesota Award" for distinguished engineering achievement 2000 - for IFCW™ project East Grand Forks, MN (in conjunction with SEH Engineering and Floan-Sanders Engineering).

IFCW Recognition - *Invisible Flood Control Wall™ project East Grand Forks, Minnesota, recognized by U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) as one of its five major "success stories" in the 20th century. A massive flood control project, born of the disastrous 1997 Red River spring flood, is located in East Grand Forks, Minnesota.

Contact Us - Flood Control America, LLC. 29 Goodmans Hill Road Sudbury, MA 01776 978.440.8902 voice 978.440.8903 fax info@floodcontrolam.com www.floodcontrolam.com