Tim Edwards, building operations manager for the US National Archives, on the flood control system that helped them avoid being flooded during the heavy rain on July 8.
On July 8, Norman Hughes was sitting in the technical control room in the basement of the US National Archives when the computer screen next to him suddenly signaled that the building’s flood control barriers had been activated.
Outside, the heavy rain that lasted for many hours caused the flood drainage system of Washington, D.C. to be overloaded, many roads and structures were heavily flooded, and water even seeped into the White House basement.
13 years ago, a major storm caused a huge amount of water from many places to pour into the National Archives building on Pennsylvania Avenue, where countless documents and sacred documents of the United States are kept, causing a situation.
On the night of June 25 and 26, 2006, a major storm dropped nearly 18 cm of rain on Washington for 6 hours.
Headquarters of the US National Archives.
Hughes still remembers the old storm and when the warning signal flashed on his computer screen, he thought to himself: `Oh my God! This is big trouble.`
The historic heavy rain on the morning of July 8 brought moments of real anxiety to the management team of the US National Archives, a massive stone building that holds many `national treasures`.
The facility was later evacuated and closed for two days, but it avoided disaster as the flood barrier did its job, building operations manager Timothy Edwards said.
Flood walls US National Archives
The operating mechanism of the flood barrier wall activates automatically.
The US National Archives was built in the 1940s in a low-lying area.
`It was like a boat,` Edwards described.
In 2009, to prevent the risk of recurring floods, the Federal Archives installed two fiberglass flood gates that can activate themselves.
Normally, they are hidden below the road surface, but when there is a flood, floodwaters will push this retaining wall up, preventing water from entering the building from outside.
During the rain on July 8, the flood walls rose completely and this is the third time they have operated at full capacity since they were installed.
`It was a big rain,` Edwards said.
Heavy rain flooded the intersection of 15th Street and Constitution Avenue in Washington D.C.
Vu Hoang (According to Washington Post)