Could inflatable dams protect Florida homes in hurricane floods? DeSantis floats plan
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Manatee Memorial Hospital’s use of an inflatable flood barrier during Hurricane Helene could be an example of how the state protects homes from future storms.
During a Bradenton news conference Monday, DeSantis discussed the successful use of a “Tiger Dam” — a flexible, inflatable flood barrier that was installed around the perimeter of Manatee Memorial Hospital before the Category 4 hurricane barreled past the area in the Gulf of Mexico. DeSantis said the dam successfully prevented Helene’s powerful storm surge from affecting the waterside hospital and could be used to protect residential buildings during future hurricane seasons.
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it for this hurricane season,” DeSantis said. “I do think at a minimum, we are talking about piloting something in maybe a low-lying residential area and seeing how that would work around some of those homes. Because you know we were just in Pasco County, I can tell you if they had that, I don’t think they would have had water damage in those homes.”
Tiger Dams consist of elongated flexible tubes that can be quickly stacked, joined end-to-end and filled with water to form a barrier that protects properties and structures, according to the company’s website.
State officials previously deployed a Tiger Dam at Manatee Memorial Hospital ahead of Hurricane Idalia in 2023, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
DeSantis said while he doesn’t know how much it might cost to outfit a home with a Tiger Dam, he believes it could be cost-effective, “because you’d avoid so much more damage.”
DeSantis: Inflatable dams reduce flood risk
DeSantis did not provide specific details about how the dams could be placed or how setup locations would be determined ahead of a future hurricane.
The governor has also been criticized for signing a law that slashed references to climate change earlier this year. Experts say warmer ocean temperatures are a direct result of climate change — and a key factor in producing stronger, more frequent hurricanes.
Manatee Memorial Hospital requested a Tiger Dam ahead of Hurricane Helene and received the inflatable barrier from the state within three hours of the request, according to DeSantis. DeSantis said the barriers were also used at a fire station in Tampa for the storm.
DeSantis said he hopes Tiger Dams will become more widely used during preparation for future storms.
“We want to make sure people know we have an ability to mitigate some of the effects of these (hurricanes,)” DeSantis said. “The fact that you can do that here and have no real water damage where that was, where those devices were deployed — that’s a big deal.”
