Using TrapBag to Mitigate Mudslide & Mudflow Damage
Mudslides and mudflows are a serious problem that can cause billions of dollars in damage in areas with large hills and mountains. They can have multiple causes, including earthquakes, storms, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires. Mudflows have claimed thousands of lives across the world because they’re fast-moving and can occur with little warning.
As a mudflow prevention method, a well-positioned TrapBag barrier can redirect mudflows away from homes. They’re an ideal solution to prevent mudflows because they can reduce severe damage to properties and potentially save residents’ lives.
TrapBags are a low-cost, rapid-deploy barrier bag. While they were originally designed as an alternative to sandbags for flood control, they’re also effective at protecting lives and property from mudflow damage.
Deploying TrapBag as a Mudflow Redirection Method
TrapBag is easier to install quickly than other types of mudslide prevention methods. It’s also much stronger, thanks to its unique cellular design—each cell interconnects with its neighbors to strengthen the entire barrier. This allows it to withstand everything from floods to mudslides and hold back hydraulic loads with thousands of pounds of pressure.
A team of three people can set up a TrapBag barrier in just a few simple steps:
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Open the packaging: TrapBag barriers come folded up on a pallet. Pull them out like an accordion and stretch them up to 50 linear feet per unit.
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Place the barrier where you need it: Place the TrapBag barrier wherever you need it to act as a mudflow diversion barrier or retaining wall.
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Fill the cells: Fill your TrapBag barrier with concrete using an excavator, cement truck, or other heavy machinery. You can also stack another barrier on top of it for added height, or stack one next to it for reinforcement.
Who We Serve
TrapBag is an ideal mudflow protection barrier in emergencies because it’s cost-effective and enables organizations to respond to potential mudslides quickly. Some of the groups we help prevent mudslides include:
Municipalities
Municipalities and other local government agencies can use TrapBag to prepare for a mudslide by using them as barriers near vulnerable neighborhoods. This enables them to redirect the flow of the debris away from people’s homes and businesses.
Learn More »Civil engineers
Mudslides can wash away highways and cause long-term damage that can take years for civil engineers to fix. TrapBag barriers can reinforce or protect existing structures from mudflows by diverting the flow away from vulnerable structures.
Learn More »Emergency management
Emergency management crews need the ability to work quickly to protect their communities in the face of potential debris flows. TrapBag enables them to make every second count by taking a fraction of the time other types of barriers need for construction
Learn More »Environmental protection services
Environmental protection groups can use TrapBag to prevent landslides or debris flows from harming sensitive natural areas, allowing them to thrive and strengthen the soil to prevent future mudflows.
Learn More »Projects
How TrapBags Compare to:
In mountainous areas across the United States, retaining walls protect highways, neighborhoods, and commercial areas from mudflows. They’re an effective solution that saves lives and protects properties from the destructive power of debris flows.
However, retaining walls are challenging to install quickly and can be expensive to construct. While they are a helpful long-term solution, they won’t help your community in the face of an imminent mudflow. That’s where TrapBag comes in handy—crews can fill TrapBag barriers with concrete and have them ready to protect your community with minimal notice.
Also called tensioned anchors, these bolts are installed in sheer cliffs, rock masses, and slopes to prevent them from collapsing or destabilizing. This in turn prevents mudslides and landslides, especially along vulnerable areas like highways.
However, rock bolts are not ideal for all types of unstable slopes. For example, they’re best suited for rocky terrain rather than slopes made of soft mud or clay. Instead, TrapBag can provide these less stable slopes with reinforcement to install more suitable long-term solutions like retaining walls or sheet piling.
This is one of the gold standards for preventing mudslides and debris flows. Reforestation and revegetation stabilize slopes at scale by allowing plants to trap soil in place. This can prevent future mudslides and make them less frequent.
However, biological stabilization takes time to take root. It’s important to always have a backup plan in the meantime, especially in places with a history of recent wildfires where plants might not be able to serve as anchors that stabilize the soil.
TrapBag makes it easier to protect community areas and residences from mudflows during emergencies. While your community works toward long-term mudflow protection methods, TrapBag can divert debris flows to keep communities safe in the days and hours before they happen.
Why Choose TrapBag for Preventing Mudslides & Mudflow Property Damage?
TrapBags got their start in 2004 when our founder, Everett “Buzz” Waid, began developing all-around improved alternatives to traditional flood barriers. Since then, we’ve installed hundreds of miles of TrapBags worldwide as flood protection and mudflow diversion barriers.
These barriers are designed to improve on the traditional design of sandbags. Each cell has a pentagonal shape with one sloped side and one vertical side to improve structural integrity. One 100-foot section of TrapBags replaces 8,000 sandbags, all while using 40% less fill material
Our team knows how important it is to have the protection your community needs when it counts. We’re here to help 24/7 across multiple countries and continents to get you the rapid-deploy solutions you need quickly.