Patent ID: 8500365

Claim:
A flood-protection system for preventing flood waters from encroaching upon a building or property by intercepting flow across a ground surface, comprising: a dam compartment installed substantially below the level of the ground surface, the dam compartment having at least a first wall, a second wall and a floor, each wall having a top and a bottom portion; a flexible, impermeable barrier, having an upper edge and a lower edge; a foldable and vertically expandable frame apparatus, constructed to extend vertically without lateral displacement, having a top portion and a bottom portion and having an upstream and a downstream side; and a barrier extension means for at least one of lifting the upper edge of the barrier and vertically extending the frame apparatus; wherein the first wall and second wall are separated by the floor, to which floor each bottom portion of each wall is sealably attached, the first wall is positioned closer to the building or property to be protected than is the second wall, with the second wall being positioned between the first wall and the direction of the encroaching flood water, the frame apparatus is positioned within the compartment, its downstream side being proximate to the first wall and its upstream side being between the downstream side and the direction of the encroaching water, the barrier is sealably attached at its upper edge to the top portion of the frame apparatus on the downstream side of the frame apparatus, and the barrier is sealably attached at its lower edge to at least one of the floor proximate to the first wall and the lower portion of the frame apparatus on its downstream side, such that activation of the barrier extension means prevents flood waters that enter into the compartment over the second wall from crossing the barrier, thereby preventing flood waters from passing over the first wall.