A small manufacturing operation in Paradise is getting national recognition.
In the wake of Hurricane Irene, the founder of Stormtec was featured in the Wall Street Journal.
Now, the invention is making the sandbag much more practical.
The Stormbag was instrumental in preventing flooding outside a New York hospital during the height of Hurricane Irene.
Bag by bag, this Paradise operation is helping homeowners and businesses prepare for water-related disasters.
The Stormbag is an absorbent, more advanced version of the sandbag.
Stormtec Founder Maurice Huffman says, “It’s for the backline, for the museums, the national museums, hospitals, any kind of a place that doesn't have all the people in front and they're getting a secondary flow, they’re getting high winds and heavy rains.”
Last month, Stormtec was featured in the Wall Street Journal, and since then interest has been flooding in.
“It was about the Irene Hurricane,” says Huffman, “They were investigating small businesses that were getting involved in helping out.”
While the National Guard will most likely stick with the traditional sandbag for major incidents, the Stormbag is an alternative for homeowners or businesses that don't have the man power.
But don't even think about calling a Stormbag a sandbag.
Huffman says, “You really can't compare them to a sandbag, it’s a totally different item. You don't need sand, you don’t need all the labor and all the work involved. You also have very small storage areas for it.”
At first glance, the Stormbag looks like a standard burlap sack.
But it's filled with a small amount of polymer- a substance that can be found in diapers.
Suddenly it comes to life, transforming into a gel-like sandbag, ready to be stacked.
When the Stormbag is dry, it only weighs a pound.
Throw it in some water, it soaks up five gallons and then weighs up to 32 lbs.
As the orders continue to flow in, Huffman is proud he made the decision to produce this building-saving bag right here in the north state, creating jobs and a useful product.
“I do believe that we need to manufacture things in this country again. We really need to work on that, and I’m proud to be doing that,” says Huffman.
Huffman is in talks with FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security to add the Stormbag to their arsenal.
The bags run $7 each.
