It only takes an inch of water inside your house to destroy property and bring on insurance headaches, and along the Gulf coast, flooding is a threat throughout the year.

Bruce Brenner, with Disaster Defense Systems says his product can help keep water out of homes.

The product looks like a pillow you'd find on an airplane, it's about an inch thick, and weighs about a pound.

Brenner says when the product gets wet, it becomes waterproof protection to help keep flood water out.

According to Brenner, he says flood sacks are a lighter weight substitute for sand bags.

“It gives us the ability to react effectively,” said Brenner.

The lightweight flood sacks absorb water in a matter of minutes.

“You use it just like you would a sandbag. You keep the water out by placing outside the structure, or inside if you have some type of a breech. You can use these because they will absorb, not just propel, but absorb,” said Brenner.

The sacks will absorb up to 45 pounds of water, which is roughly five and a half gallons.

However, Brenner says the real strength of the product is its size.

“You can put enough of these in the back of a pickup truck to respond to an event which will equal 18 wheelers full of sand bags,” said Brenner.

Greg Collins, who was mayor of Kemah during Hurricane Ike says he wishes he had the product then.

“If you could protect your sliding glass doors or whatever, you can stop a good portion of what would come in and ruin carpets and furniture, anything that helps people that is the key and I think that is the big thing with this product,” Collins said

The flood sacks are sold 20 to a case. One case costs $269.

The sacks can be stored for years and they last 90 days once they're we