Flood barrier system

A flood barrier system for protecting a structure from the inflow of flood water, the structure having coplanar windows and at least one mullion located between the windows, the system having stackable stop-log panels deployable in response to flood or flood risk to form a temporary barrier to the flood water, the panels having forward faces oriented toward the flood water and rear faces opposite the forward faces, the system comprising:

• multiple vertical elements, at least one of the vertical elements including a back mounting plate adapted to be securable to the mullion, the vertical element having a pair of vertically extending tracks having back walls formed by the mounting plate to position the tracks proximate to the plane of the windows, the tracks sized to receive ends of the panels;
• wherein at least one of the vertical elements has a first wet-side gasket and a second, dry-side gasket, each gasket extending vertically along the vertical element, the wet-side gasket opposing the forward faces of the panels and the dry-side gasket opposing the rear faces of the panels, the wet-side and dry-side gaskets being spaced from each other and configured to engage the panels in a water-tight manner upon placement of the panels between the first and second gaskets and to permit the panels to be shifted rearwardly upon exposure to predetermined loads caused by flood waters;
• wherein the tracks are oriented to position the panel faces proximate to the windows to be protected;
• wherein the vertical element adapted to be secured to the mullion comprises a first vertical element;
• wherein the multiple vertical elements comprise second and third vertical elements adapted to be secured relative to the structure at laterally spaced locations to each side of the first vertical element;
• wherein the tracks of the first, second, and third vertical element have forward walls defining a forwardmost plane relative to the plane of the windows;
• and
• wherein the first, second and third vertical elements are secured relative to the windows at locations within the forwardmost plane, thereby occupying a horizontal footprint between the structure and the forwardmost plane;
• wherein the stackable stop-log panels comprise at least one panel adapted to be a bottommost panel of a corresponding stack, the bottommost panel having a bottom edge;
• wherein the first, second, and third vertical elements have vertically oriented tracks adapted to extend substantially to ground adjacent to the structure to be protected, the ground characterized by a substantially planar ground plane and variations therefrom, the vertically oriented tracks comprising at least one pair of opposing, laterally spaced tracks adapted to receive therebetween the bottommost panel;
• wherein the bottommost panel has at least one bottom gasket extending over a length along the bottom edge;
• wherein the bottom gasket comprises a pair of struts extending along the bottom edge of the panel, the struts extending downwardly from the bottom edge by an amount sufficient to accommodate variations of the ground plane and terminating in a pair of beads adapted to contact the ground when the bottommost panel is deployed;
• and
• wherein, in response to downward compressive force on the bottommost panel when deployed, the struts collapse and the location of the beads relative to the bottom edge of the bottommost panel varies along the length of the bottom gasket to maintain a watertight seal at locations corresponding to variations in the bottom plane.