TrapBag® is a low cost, rapid-deploy, engineered flood and erosion control barrier bag system designed to protect life and property from natural disasters.
How to rapidly deploy a flood barrier step by step:
Step 1: Pull the bundle apart like an accordion and set it in the desired location with the sloped side towards the water/wave action—in most erosion situations—and the vertical side towards the water in flood situations (except when you’re installing multiple stacked layers). Where wave action occurs, a scour skirt is required under the facing base of the TrapBags®.
Step 2: Simultaneously, fill the first two end cells three-fourths of the way with 100 pounds per cubic foot of material minimum.
IMPORTANT: TrapBags® must be filled with material that, at a minimum, is granular and not silty fines, with a minimum weight of 2700 pounds per cubic yard or 100 pounds per cubic foot.
Step 3: Pull the chain of cells tight and simultaneously fill the two cells that are next to the last cell three-fourths of the way. You must leave the last cell completely empty in order to make a connection to the 2nd chain of cells, or make the connection BEFORE you fill the two cells that are next to the last cell halfway. The critical point to understand is to have the cells pulled out extremely tight. This will form a structure, and the sand/fill inside of the cells at opposite ends hold the cells in a rigid structure for filling.
Step 4: Connect the 1st chain of cells to the 2nd chain of cells. Place the first cell of the 2nd chain inside the open connection cell of the 1st chain. Connect the cells by creating frames within the last cell of the 1st chain and the first cell of the 2nd chain with 2×4’s and screwing them together. To assure proper anchorage, connect screws to the frame from the inside of both cells.
Step 5: Once connected, simultaneously fill those two cells up three-fourths of the way.
Step 6: Fill the rest of the cells in the 1st chain of cells up three-fourths of the way, making certain that you are filling multiple cells at one time in 1-ft lifts as seen in the photo. This is so the partitions in between the cells are supported by the filling material. This prevents leaning from side to side or bulging into the next cell.
Step 7: Once all the cells in the chain are filled three-fourths of the way full it is time to add water. Each cell must be filled with at least 50 gallons of water before filling with sand again. This will start hydraulically compacting to ensure proper compaction of the fill material. DO NOT USE A GARDEN HOSE.
Step 8: Complete the filling of the TrapBags®.
Step 9: Again, hydraulically compact the sand. DO NOT USE A GARDEN HOSE.
Step 10: TBRD Models come with a cover. Pull the cover over the top and attach it to the TrapBags® with hog rings. Attach the lids with hog rings 2 inches on center. Tuck any loose or extra fabric inside of the cell before attaching with the ss hog rings. This prevents waves from grabbing the loose material and ripping it loose.
Step 11: Repeat this process until linear footage is achieved.
Are temporary flood barriers effective?
Temporary flood barriers are highly effective. Temporary flood barriers rely on the same principles to function as permanent barriers. (FEMA.gov) The benefits of temporary flood barriers like TrapBags® are that they can be removed and reused based on the conditions. These flood barriers are an alternative to conventional sandbags.
A significant drawback of the use of sandbags is the amount of time required to deploy them. TrapBags® offer a rapidly deployable solution.
What are rapidly deployable flood barriers filled with?
TrapBags® must be filled with material that, at a minimum, is granular and not silty fines with a minimum weight of 2700lbs. per cubic yard or 100lbs. per cubic ft. TrapBag® Barriers can be filled with sand, washed gravel, or concrete. Avoid filling with silt, clay, or rocks greater than 2 inches across. TrapBag® uses 40% less fill material than a stacked sandbag wall.
How rapidly can TrapBags be deployed as a flood barrier?
Generally, two (2) ground laborers and a front-end loader can deploy and fill 300ft (100 meters) of the 4ft (1.2 meter) tall TrapBags® per hour with minimal training. Check out this video to see how it works.
