Cars and water do not mix. Once water spreads through the interior, excessive corrosion and electrical problems soon follow and the consequences can be deceptively dangerous. That’s why flood-damaged cars are usually totaled by insurance companies even if they appear normal. It’s never a good situation, but if you’re particularly fond of your car, giving it up when it looks fine can be harder than seeing it crushed.
Now, there could be a way for folks to avoid such situations. Rahel Abraham is an engineer living in Texas, and she knows the pain of dealing with floods after losing her car back in 2008. She put her knowledge of chemical and environmental engineering to work, and after studying different materials for longevity and water resistance, she came up with the ClimaGuard. In short, it’s a big bag that you simply drive over, then zip up and around to keep the water away. But there’s a bit more to it than that.
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Zippers can’t keep water out, but as The Drive reports, the location of the zipper plays an important role in the ClimaGuard’s design. When waters reach a certain depth, the car will actually float and the zipper is located above the waterline. In theory, as long as an absolute deluge of water doesn’t come roaring in, the car contained within the ClimaGuard can simply ride the storm out. Tie-downs help keep the car in place while it’s floating, and the protection isn’t limited to cars. Since it lays out like a tarp, any number of items can be wrapped up.
If this seems familiar, it’s because we reported on a similar design in 2017 from a company in the Philippines. Called the Flood Guard Car Bag, it’s literally a bag that’s sealed on three sides. As such, it requires at least two people to set up, whereas Abraham’s ClimaGuard can be set up quickly by one person.
That could be the difference between saving and losing your car in a flash flood situation, and at $400, it seems like an inexpensive bit of security for folks in areas that are prone to flooding.
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