It’s almost Summer in Australia. And, that means one of two things: either fires or floods. Or, maybe both.
Four years ago, my parents lost everything in the flooding in regional Queensland. This was the same time that Brisbane was also flooded for the first time since the in 1970s.
A lot of people lost a lot.
One thing that always occurs when flooding is possible, is sandbagging.
But, there are several problems with sandbagging.
Firstly, the bags are heavy when full of sand. It takes a monumental effort to lift them and have them on the frontline of a looming flood. Secondly, if the flood water does hit, some always seeps through or, if the water is higher than the wall of bags, the buildings are still inundated.
Then, the sandbags are a problem because they keep the flood water in the building.
Going through a flood, is something that changes lives. An 11 year old boy in Florida, Peyton Robertson survived one. He saw the problems with sandbags so, he reinvented it.
For his design efforts, he won a $25,000 grant and, the applause of scientists everywhere.
In this ABC News video, you’ll see his genius invention in action. And, it’s worth noting that he has three patents pending.
Sixth-grader Peyton Robertson wins $25,000 for his innovative sandbag design
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