WATCH: Tampa hospital uses ‘AquaFence’ to keep storm surge out

TAMPA, Fla. ( WFLA ) — Heavy storm surge from Helene left the streets of downtown Tampa looking more like the open ocean – except at the base of Tampa General Hospital, which employed a special fence to keep the water out.

Video taken by a TGH employee showed the waters near the hospital, sloshing outside of the AquaFence, technology that was generating buzz on social media Friday.

“Designed to protect the vulnerable area of our campus, the AquaFence is a water-impermeable barrier created to withstand storm surge up to 15 feet above sea level,” the hospital wrote on social media. “Since 2019, the technology has worked successfully through multiple rain events to prevent storm water from impacting hospital operations.”

According to the AquaFence website , the fences are positioned in areas around the hospital due to the different elevation levels across the facility.

AquaFence barriers can be deployed around buildings or even city blocks to help keep water away from critical facilities. They can also be used to divert rivers away from urban centers.

Tampa police warned residents that the surge would peak before 3 a.m. Friday.

“Between now and sunrise this is NOT the time to “white water raft” on Bayshore Blvd or take an amateur adventure through downtown,” the department wrote on X.

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