5 ms·

As soon as it started raining, wouldn't you have just gotten out of the creek via the nearest embankment?

by Benjamin_Dobell 6y ago

WalterBright 6y ago
In Arizona, it could be raining upstream and you don't notice it - till the flash flood comes.
csours 6y ago
Some sections are sheer cliffs.
dredmorbius 6y ago
Flash floods 1) develop quickly 2) often in impassable terrain (upstream and downstream are your only options), and 3) often under "blue sky" conditions from distant of hours-old rain rain. https://youtube.com/watch?v=q_yw8uUqH5I https://youtube.com/watch?v=q_yw8uUqH5I
- jjt-yn_t 6y ago
  that's really informative!
- pvaldes 6y ago
  I think that a simple chain of small electronic signals could notice the flooding and spread the information to all the other signals in the chain downstream. People could see a small flashing red light chain and rush to the next safe exit. Providing the system with a few discrete metallic scales leading just up in strategic points would save lives. This would not be difficult to design, just a sensor placed at 50cm high that would activate automatically when flooded) and could be implement discretely without ruining the landscape. Just an idea that just occurred to me.
  - thehappypm 6y ago
    This type of system would actually be quite expensive. Detecting flooding requires some kind of "flood sensor". Is that a water sensor? What happens when it gets covered in mud? Is it waterproof? How's it powered? How does it transmit data? Where is it placed? What happens if it falls over?
    - pvaldes 6y ago
      A flood sensor is simple technology. Each WC in the planet has one. You just need a box, a wire, and a buoy attached to a rod. When the buoy starts floating the rod closes an electric circuit conveniently placed much higher than the highest flood. Could be introduced in a tube drilled directly in rock for minimum visual impact. A system of an oiled hollow cylinder (buoy) inside a major tube, all placed in the drilled tunnel could move smoothly for a long time and return again by gravity after the flood as long as the drill left some empty space below (for mud evacuation purposes) > How does it transmit data? standard electric cable (for example), or wifi, radio... whatever appropriate for the area > Where is placed? The rod/buoy, At 50cm high or 1m high (or any appropriate value) in the upper parts of the cannon. This would avoid the problem of mud covering electronics also. > What happens if it fails? The system returns to the same point as it is currently: "This is dangerous, not guarantee, we recommend to hire a guide, do it at your own risk". The difference is that in the meanwhile some lives could be saved, so would be an improvement over the current situation. > How do we know if it fails A final led at the starting (and end?) of the cannon could be arranged to turn off, for example. Trivial in design of electronic circuits.
markdown 6y ago
https://youtu.be/_yCnQuILmsM?t=71 https://youtu.be/_yCnQuILmsM?t=71 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RluoQW0t2yQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RluoQW0t2yQ
hnick 6y ago
Flash floods can form out of sight. You might not have rain where you are, but the water is coming downstream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p2vzhTMhW0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p2vzhTMhW0 Now imagine you are in a gorge or choke point where it narrows suddenly.
zhte415 6y ago
It's not easy to get up at an embankment. Mud and a 10-20mph current of water (water's heavy) pushing you away. Unless a root of a tree to grab on to, or a really solid rock, very hard and getting into the situation best avoided at all costs.

As soon as it started raining, wouldn't you have just gotten out of the creek via the nearest embankment?

WalterBright 6y ago

In Arizona, it could be raining upstream and you don't notice it - till the flash flood comes.

csours 6y ago

Some sections are sheer cliffs.

dredmorbius 6y ago

Flash floods 1) develop quickly 2) often in impassable terrain (upstream and downstream are your only options), and 3) often under "blue sky" conditions from distant of hours-old rain rain. https://youtube.com/watch?v=q_yw8uUqH5I https://youtube.com/watch?v=q_yw8uUqH5I

jjt-yn_t 6y ago
that's really informative!
pvaldes 6y ago
I think that a simple chain of small electronic signals could notice the flooding and spread the information to all the other signals in the chain downstream. People could see a small flashing red light chain and rush to the next safe exit. Providing the system with a few discrete metallic scales leading just up in strategic points would save lives. This would not be difficult to design, just a sensor placed at 50cm high that would activate automatically when flooded) and could be implement discretely without ruining the landscape. Just an idea that just occurred to me.
- thehappypm 6y ago
  This type of system would actually be quite expensive. Detecting flooding requires some kind of "flood sensor". Is that a water sensor? What happens when it gets covered in mud? Is it waterproof? How's it powered? How does it transmit data? Where is it placed? What happens if it falls over?
  - pvaldes 6y ago
    A flood sensor is simple technology. Each WC in the planet has one. You just need a box, a wire, and a buoy attached to a rod. When the buoy starts floating the rod closes an electric circuit conveniently placed much higher than the highest flood. Could be introduced in a tube drilled directly in rock for minimum visual impact. A system of an oiled hollow cylinder (buoy) inside a major tube, all placed in the drilled tunnel could move smoothly for a long time and return again by gravity after the flood as long as the drill left some empty space below (for mud evacuation purposes) > How does it transmit data? standard electric cable (for example), or wifi, radio... whatever appropriate for the area > Where is placed? The rod/buoy, At 50cm high or 1m high (or any appropriate value) in the upper parts of the cannon. This would avoid the problem of mud covering electronics also. > What happens if it fails? The system returns to the same point as it is currently: "This is dangerous, not guarantee, we recommend to hire a guide, do it at your own risk". The difference is that in the meanwhile some lives could be saved, so would be an improvement over the current situation. > How do we know if it fails A final led at the starting (and end?) of the cannon could be arranged to turn off, for example. Trivial in design of electronic circuits.

markdown 6y ago

https://youtu.be/_yCnQuILmsM?t=71 https://youtu.be/_yCnQuILmsM?t=71 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RluoQW0t2yQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RluoQW0t2yQ

hnick 6y ago

Flash floods can form out of sight. You might not have rain where you are, but the water is coming downstream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p2vzhTMhW0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p2vzhTMhW0 Now imagine you are in a gorge or choke point where it narrows suddenly.

zhte415 6y ago

It's not easy to get up at an embankment. Mud and a 10-20mph current of water (water's heavy) pushing you away. Unless a root of a tree to grab on to, or a really solid rock, very hard and getting into the situation best avoided at all costs.