Photo Credit: Taylor Engineering, Inc.

Flood barriers are used around a building or its utility components to protect from flooding. Flood barriers can be categorized as either passive or active devices. Passive flood barriers operate automatically during a flood or storm event and do not require any human intervention or power source. An example of a passive flood barrier is a floodwall or levee. Active flood barriers require warnings in advance to deploy during a flood or storm event. This strategy is of limited value when flash floods are frequent. FEMA recommends passive flood barrier devices when planning and building.

Resources:
FEMA - Floodwall with Passive Floodgates Signals Commitment