Best Flood Barriers for Disasters & Emergencies
In times of unexpected deluges and rising waters, safeguarding lives and property becomes paramount. When faced with the destructive force of floods, having a reliable and effective flood barrier can mean the difference between chaos and calm, devastation and protection. Making a plan and picking the best flood barriers for your situation ahead of time is key. There are plenty of types and brands of flood barriers to choose from.
This is where we come in. We’ve researched the best flood barriers, put them to the test, and now the results are in: the best flood barrier, the best sandbags, and a whole home option. If you want to protect your property quickly and effectively, one of our picks will keep you dry.
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This update on the best flood barriers adjusted prices for accuracy, shares a new sandback pick, added pictures of testing, and added more data. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Disclosure»
Best Flood Barrier
Quick Dam Flood Barrier
Easy to Use, Fast Deployment, and Effective
These water-activated pigs are great at quickly fortifying doorways from rising water.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Quick Dam is the biggest name in flood protection, with products ranging from door barriers all the way up to total home solutions. This little absorbent pig can be found in most hardware stores and online, making them convenient to pick up.
Specifications
- Quantity: 2
- Height: 3.5″, stackable in a 1:3 ratio
- Fill: Absorbs water to self-activate
- Length: 5′
- Weight: 1.6 pounds unfilled
Even more convenient is their deployment- they stay relatively flat until water hits them, where they start to absorb and take shape. Once they absorb 8 gallons of water, they measure 3.5″ tall each. You’ll notice dessicant seeping from the seams in the barrier, but that’s normal. The dessicant is non-toxic, pet safe, and biodegradable, so you can even leave the flood barriers out until they start to decompose.
The downside to the Quick Dam Flood Barrier is that it can get pricey if you are protecting lots of entryways or large areas. To get them taller, you have to stack them in a 1:3 ratio (pyramid), so you could see how they start to get expensive.
Their size and shape limitations are another drawback. You can’t cut them to size, and sometimes they don’t prevent seeping when they are placed end-to-end. When you stack them or extend them, you’ll want to stagger the ends (like a brick wall), the same way you would with sandbags.
But, they are still the best solution for a fast and effective barrier. Pick up a Quick Dam Flood Barrier to protect your home, divert water, or absorb leaks.
Best Sandbags
Durasack Sandbags
Thick, Reusable, and Proven
Sandbags have been the go-to for flood prevention for years, and these bags are simply the best bang for your buck.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Sandbags continue to be one of the most versatile flood barrier options if you correctly fill and arrange them. Use plastic sheeting on the water side of the bag wall, with the sheeting weighed down with additional bags.
Specifications
- Quantity: 10-pack shown (but several quantity options ranging from 10 to 18,000 in five colors)
- Material: Polypropylene weave
- Fill: 50 pounds of sand each (suggested fill)
- Weight: 1.87 ounces each (unfilled)
Filling bags can be tedious work, but if you are aware of flood potential and keep up to date on developing weather conditions, filling and placing sandbags can usually be accomplished in time.
The bags are pretty standard, with stitched bottoms and a 14″ x 26″ profile. The integrated tie strings are nice, so you don’t have to track down ties, or worse, try to tie the bag itself. Those were on several of the bags I compared, so it’s not a unique feature.
If you are looking for an inexpensive solution with plenty of versatile uses, Durasack Sandbags are what you need.
Whole Home Flood Barrier
Quick Dam Water Force
High Capacity, Fast Deployment, and Trusted
Get massive protection in quickly deployable and easy-to-use kits that can protect your entire house effectively.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
The Water Force is a portable self-deploying barrier that protects up to a massive 5 feet high. The trick is the support straps and the skirt that support the wall as rising waters push it up. Because of this design, it won’t work with direct contact with waves (ie. oceanfront), but it otherwise works on any surface, and even contours around corners.
Specifications
- Height: 26″ for the model shown
- Length: 30 feet (can connect lengths together)
- Fill: Self-rising (float)
- Size: 17″ x 29″ x 12″ packed
- Weight: 70 pounds
You can find the Water Force in smaller sizes, like the 6″ tall 17-foot version. If you’re only protecting to 6″ high, you’d be better served with our top pick, since it would be much more cost-effective.
I like how you can gather the dam to turn corners with it- it’s very versatile for its large size. Joining dams together to create a continuous wall is easy, and laying them out ahead of the storm can be quick if you have a few people to help.
If you are looking to protect your entire home, get a Quick Dam Water Force to deploy quickly.
Comparison Table
| Flood Barrier | Recommendation | Price* | Type | Height | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Dam Flood Barrier | Overall Best | $23 | Absorbent | 3.5″ | Fast deployment |
| Durasack Sandbags | Sandbag | $10 | Sandbags | Varies | Versatility |
| Quick Dam Water Force | Whole-Home | $2,690 | Rising barrier | 26″ | Large-scale protection |
| Carrywell Sandbags | $15 | Sandbags | Varies | Versatility | |
| Sandbaggy Sandbags | $20 | Sandbags | Varies | Versatility | |
| HydraBarrier Ultra | $34 | Water fill | 6″ | Conforming fit | |
| Floodworx | $50 | Water fill | 6″ | Conforming fit | |
| PIG Flood Barrier | $53 | Absorbent | 3.5″ | Fast deployment | |
| Aqua Safe Flood Bags | $87 | Absorbent | 5.5″ | Sandbag size | |
| ULINE Spill Berm | $245 | Permanent | 2″ | Durable | |
| NOAQ Boxwall | $372 | Modular wall | 40″ | Fast deployment | |
| Dam Easy Flood Barrier | $924 | Door barrier | 30″ | Tall door protection |
The Barriers We Compared
The team researched and compared a wide range of barriers from many brands, including Quick Dam, TeraRight, Floodworx, Dam Easy, and AquaSafe.
You can see our full list of review criteria below in the What to Look For section, with an explanation for each.
We considered a wide range of flood management gear but ended up comparing portable flood barriers rather than installed or permanent fixtures. While those are great for storm situations, we simply wanted to compare apples to apples for the sake of our review. Leave us a note if you’d like us to dig deeper into installed door barriers, etc.
After the comparison, I bought some flood barriers to test to find the best. I judged them based on our criteria through practical use, setting up the barriers, and seeing how well they prevented water seepage.
What to Look For
The best flood barriers have several important features to look for:
- Value
- Effectiveness
- Deployment Time
- Size & Coverage
- Storability
When you get the right blend of these, you can find a barrier that you can rely on in any flooding event. Below, we break down what each of these features means for the flood barriers that truly set themselves apart.
Value: Cost vs. Benefit
The amount of money you spend on something like a flood barrier shouldn’t blow out your entire budget. There is a wide range of price points when it comes to flood barriers, mostly related to their versatility and deployment speed.
You never want to spend too much money on one thing when it comes to preparedness. It’s better to diversify your gear and budget to make sure you are covered for a wide range of scenarios.
Effectiveness
The barriers that we suggest are extremely effective when used appropriately. There are many other flood barriers we encountered that do a pretty good job, but had leaks at attachment points and are better water diverters than flood barriers.
Those can obviously be useful, but we were looking for solutions that you could trust not to leak.
Deployment Time
Deployment time is something to consider when you are getting a flood barrier, but it’s not necessarily a deal-breaker. Sandbags take a much longer time than anyone ever anticipates to fill, but flooding isn’t always a surprise. If you’ve done your homework and know that you live in a flood-prone area, then you may be able to have plenty of notice for flooding events, like hurricanes.
Some other dams that do not self-activate missed our suggestion list because they took a long time to fill with water.
If flash floods are your threat, you may want to pre-fill things like sandbags and expose self-activating dams to water ahead of time so they absorb their height quickly.
Size & Coverage
Flood barriers cover a wide range of scenarios, from simple door dams all the way to 10′ high installed water diversion systems. The size of the dam and coverage you’ll need for your home vary for each individual scenario.
It’s something you’ll need to consider, and I can’t really suggest anything specifically without knowing your flood map and your property.
Storability
A few of our picks are reusable and can be stored away during the dry seasons. This is great if you plan on needing it for more than just anticipating an emergency flood. If you do have recurring drainage and flooding issues, you may need to look at more robust water management for your property and make some long-term changes.
How to Use a Flood Barrier
Quick-deployment flood barriers are simple to use and easy to set up. The absorbent-type of flood barriers need time to expand once they are exposed to water, usually around 10 minutes. If you have rushing water, you can avoid this wait by prepping them in a 5-gallon bucket like I do:
Using Sandbags for Flood Protection
Sandbags, however, take a little more patience and planning to get them right. Getting them ready to fill up is the first step- I like to fold the tops down to make the opening more stable. I also prefer to use a transfer shovel rather than a spade for filling them- it’s a better tool for the job.
You can fill sandbags with plenty of things, and not just sand. Sand works best for flood prevention, since it lets the bags conform better to the surface they are sitting on and any other bags around them. Dirt works well if you are using sandbags for expedient shelters, hardening, and fallout protection.
You don’t have to wear all the PPE these Aussies do, but they do a great job of showing how to set up sandbags for a variety of flood barrier uses:
Flood Protection Tips
The intensity of storms is increasing, and that means more rainwater filling up our storm drains. All of that rainwater has to go somewhere, so how do you keep that water from flooding your property? Once rain hits the ground and starts to flow, it’s called stormwater.
Stormwater causes all kinds of problems, from flooding property to contaminating drinking water. Here are some tips to help protect your property from floods caused by stormwater.
Remember how water flows
Water always follows the path of least resistance, and that’s usually downhill. The goal is to adjust that path to move the water away from valuables. You usually won’t be able to completely stop flowing stormwater, so focus on routing stormwater to areas that drain well and won’t flood your house or your neighbor’s house.
Check your insurance policy
Make sure you know if your insurance covers property damage from water run-off. Most policies (including flood insurance!) do not cover “ground-water runoff”, also known as stormwater runoff. Homeowners often don’t see the distinction, but most insurance companies call it a flood only if it comes from a body of water.
Disconnect impervious surfaces
Impervious surfaces, like driveways, roads, and roofs, don’t let rain soak in. Any rain that falls on these impervious surfaces runs off, and this is the water that will cause you the most problems. Do your best to limit the amount of runoff from impervious surfaces that drain to other impervious surfaces. Do this by diverting your gutter downspouts from impervious surfaces to areas that let the water drain into the ground (and away from your house!) like your yard or a garden.
You can also divert flow into a rain garden, which is a garden whose purpose is to store and soak up stormwater. You can do some research to see what plants are best for a rain garden in your specific area. Plants love water, so let plants do the work for you and help with your flooding problem!
Use drains that work
Place drains around impervious surfaces that flood often. If possible, use a drain leading to a corrugated pipe with a fabric sock on it and with 10” of gravel on all sides. This allows drainage until capacity, and then the excess water will run off.
If there is a possibility of that setup clogging, use a drain going into a 3” or 4” PVC pipe that drains to a safe collection area. Remember to clear drains and the area upstream from drains before a storm.
Natural adjustments
If the volume of stormwater is high, place water breaks where possible that divert water paths sideways and slightly downhill rather than straight downhill. You can see this in action on many unpaved paths on hiking trails.
In that scenario, trail builders use landscape timbers to channel water at an angle. This lowers erosion and diverts flow. A homeowner can use any wood, including boards, logs, or tree limbs, to do the same.
Make adjustments while it’s happening
Go outside when it rains (not during dangerous storms!) and watch where the water goes. If you make an adjustment, then you can see immediate results! Work your way along the flow until the new path is running well, or just mark areas to work on later after it’s done raining.
Flowing water is extremely powerful, and it’ll flow where it wants based on the lay of the land. Use these tips to help it make up its mind. With some water management, you can spare your valuable property from costly and time-consuming water damage.
Who Needs a Flood Barrier?
Not everyone needs a flood barrier, but it is a good idea to do the research to see if you do. The first step is checking your flood map:
- FEMA Flood Maps (flood zone designations for predictions and insurance)
- USGS National Water Dashboard (for real-time flood monitoring)
If you are in an at-risk area on the map, you should consider a flood barrier for your:
Some flood barriers, like pigs and sandbags, can also be useful in other water mitigation situations, or as barriers for other events (especially sandbags).
How We Review Products: We research thoroughly before selecting the best products to review. We have vast prepping and survival experience and bring in outside experts when needed. Hours on end are spent testing gear in stressful conditions and using specialized testing gear to verify claims. We assign performance criteria and impartially rate each tested item. Learn more about how we test.
Sources & References
Despite being an engineer and emergency manager, I used plenty of external sources to learn up on flood barriers before and during testing. These references helped me pick the best of the bunch and design my testing to be effective.
McCormack, S., et al. (2012). Temporary Flood Barriers. Kentucky Transportation Center. (Source)
Nofal, O., et al. (2021). Modeling the Impact of Building-Level Flood Mitigation Measures Made Possible by Early Flood Warnings on Community-Level Flood Loss Reduction. Buildings. Volume 11. Issue 10. Pages 475. (Source)
Zhegang, D., et al. (2022). Research to Develop Flood Barrier Testing Strategies for Nuclear Power Plants. U.S. Department of Energy; Office of Scientific and Technical Information. (Source)
Conclusion
When a hurricane, severe storm, or storm surge comes knocking, you’ll be glad to have a portable flood barrier ready to go. Flooding is one of the deadliest natural disasters and can quickly rack up billions in damages. Many people underestimate flooding as a potential threat, and insurance carriers don’t cover it in typical home insurance.
Some other guides and reviews that can help you get ready for flooding include:
- The Best Survival Tarp for Prepping and Emergencies
- Best Water Purification Tablets
- Home Survival Kit List | 53 Essentials
See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.
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It really helped when you elaborated on flood barriers and what we’d look for when shopping for one. Last year, my parents’ house flooded during a hurricane, so we want to prevent that from happening again. Their house is located in a flood zone, so I’ll suggest we look for sandbags with the right size and coverage.