Neighbors called him crazy for spending $8300 on 400FT of plastic – until they saw the reason why

We are aware that recent years’ weather has been erratic. It’s difficult to predict what to expect each day of any season, from a warm winter in the Northeast to hotter summers than ever in the Pacific Northwest. In 2016, the Southwest region of the country experienced an extremely unusual amount of flooding, which resulted in many residents losing possessions or even entire homes.

However, one resident made an investment in safeguarding his house before the floodwaters reached him.

By Joker in interestingasfuck, a Texas resident uses an inflatable dam to protect his home from floodwaters.

Randy Wagner, a resident of Texas, was prepared for the 2016 floods in his state. The Aquadam that encircled the exterior of the Texas man’s home required both time and money. It wasn’t the most obvious answer, but it did the trick.

Randy, who hails from Rosharon, Texas, decided to research building a DIY Aquadam despite the season being primarily dry. He drove to Louisiana to pick up his Aquadam after learning that the Brazos River Authority had issued a massive impending flood warning. Neighbors criticized Randy for his decision, but in May 2015, his choice had the opposite effect. Following a flood in the area, thousands of homes in Brazoria County were evacuated at this time, and sadly many homes were even lost. However, there was no damage to Wagnor’s house. He explained, “I needed to prepare for something that no one has seen because I didn’t know where that level was going to stop at.

I was the crazy guy, says Flickr user Texas Military Department. Everyone was kind of walking by and laughing at me. But this Aquadam has really impressed them lately. Wagner was one of the three men who assembled the device, which required 400 feet of 30 inch high tubing in total. The damn was made of fabric and plastic and contained water. Wagner and his family would have been able to see some of the nearly 3-foot water inside their house if it weren’t for this straightforward tubing. Instead, they stayed inside during the flooding and watched it build up outside. Randy remarked, “To me, $8,300 is a small investment on a house that might have two feet of water inside.”.

Aquadams may not be the most conventional flood damage prevention strategy, but they do save homeowners and insurance companies alike thousands of dollars in damages. Aquadams have been used in a few different places instead of other preventative measures with a fair amount of consistency success because they are quieter and lighter than many similar devices. View the video below to learn more about Aquadams!

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