A product being used to help fight the flooding in the Sioux City area could eventually be used across the state and across the world. “Lite Form” in South Sioux City makes insulated concrete forms that are used to pour concrete for flood walls.

The city manager of South Sioux City, Lance Hedquist, says they built two dikes, one made of earth that cost $1.6-million, and one from Lite Form that cost 28-thousand.

He says they think there is a lot of promise for the Lite Form to be accepted from FEMA as an acceptable use for flood walls. Hedquist says you can lay miles of Lite Form walls in one day. He says it has a lot of benefits over other methods. He says it’s easier and faster and in some cases reuseable.

Hedquist says they are asking FEMA to allow them to keep some of the Lite Form wall. He says it’s “kind of a foolish expenditure to have to do it again,” and they could ideally keep part of it in place. But as of right now, they have a written agreement with the Corps of Engineers to take it down.

The floodwaters are expected to remain in the area for several more weeks.

By Josie Cooper, KSCJ, Sioux City