This browser does not support the Video element.
Friends join forces to create flood barrier system
FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Hurricane Helene devastated Danny Fustar’s St. Pete home and his friend’s, Enrico Palmerino.
"We are very close friends," Fustar said. "Our kids go to school together. So, we experienced this first go around with a hurricane together. Our families were displaced at a hotel together."
READ: Proposed budget cuts could impact NOAA during peak hurricane season
Big picture view:
In that hotel, they had an idea.
"We love St. Pete, and we were determined to stay here. And so, I needed to come up with something that would allow us to do that and not be fearful every single hurricane season," Palmerino said.
Palmerino said he didn’t see any flood barriers on the market that he liked, so, with a background in aluminum manufacturing, he created one of his own.
MORE: Flood app developed by USF team sees upgrades one year after Helene, Milton
"I put it up on my house, and then the rest is history," Palmerino said. "The six-plus dinners were interrupted with neighbors knocking on the door, being like, ‘what's that you put up,’" Palmerino said. "I was like, ‘you know what? Maybe I'll make a few of these, and I'll sell enough to pay for my own.’"
Palmerino said he called Fustar and told him about the demand for the flood barriers. They designed a flood prevention system made of sturdy aluminum that can reach 12 feet tall and be built in increments of eight inches. They run about $6,000 for a garage around six feet, and around $1,000 for a normal front door entryway. The company is called "Dam It Defense."
Dig deeper:
They’ve factory tested it and third-party tested it. They’re planning to test it next by putting debris and other objects in the water as well.
"We never built this to be a product, so we didn't do any of the things you normally do when you're building a product or a business. I spared no expense. I didn't look at cutting costs to optimize margin. It was just, for me, how do I make this the strongest thing possible? What's the best seal gasket technology I can use? What's the best steel? What's the best aluminum? Pull out all the stops. The nice thing about that is it's, I'd say, way over-engineered for the amount of water or forces that you're going to take," Palmerino said.
READ: St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch reflects on Hurricane Helene one year later
Palmerino said water shouldn’t come through the wall.
"What I can't guarantee is water won't find its way through a hole or an outlet or a crack in a foundation, but that's not where the majority of water gets into a home. And that's a totally different world of flooding than if you had a system like this in place," he said.
It takes one to three days to install, and you can store the panels on your property or their’s, then put them back up before a storm. Demand is taking off. They installed four on Tuesday alone, and 11 are scheduled for this week.
"We definitely didn't expect the level of success that we had," Palmerino said.
They moved into a building in the St. Pete’s Arts District last month.
MORE: $1.3M federal grant helps Bay Area plan for post-disaster recovery
"When we were looking for a place, the key was, can we find a place as close to an interstate so we can quickly deploy solutions and get materials here and fabricate and get it out. Once we nailed that, we wanted really the image of our company to be this castle, to be this really strong fortress, because frankly, that's what we're turning everyone's properties into with our system. So, we commissioned a skateboard pro, a professional skateboarder, to come out, do all the mural," Palmerino said.
What they're saying:
They said it shows something good can come out of something terrible.
"It's like a rising phoenix. We went from this pure, absolute devastation and, I think, a sense of hopelessness to when we had our system installed. I can tell you the anxiety level and even my kids just being like, 'oh, we're good now,'" Palmerino said.
They also are giving back to the community. They’ve donated a couple of Hummers to the Cajun Navy.
"Then, we're working on a program now where we'll take basically recycled aluminum and the money that we get from that and apply it to giving out a free system as often as we can to a lucky homeowner or property owner that couldn't otherwise afford it," Palmerino said.
What's next:
Palmerino and Fustar said they’re focusing on the Tampa Bay area, but did just sign two resellers to help them expand. They said they’ve gotten inquiries from as far away as North Carolina.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by Dam It Defense’s co-founders.