Temporary flood barriers are lightweight barriers that can be moved to areas to prevent flooding. They physically block floodwaters from flowing into an area by raising the water level of the surrounding banks. They can be moved to where the risk of flooding is greatest.

Emergency measures are temporary measures implemented between flood warnings and flood events to protect buildings from flooding. Some of these measures are as follows:

Sandbags: The way sandbags are used has changed little over time. Temporary walls built with sandbags can be used to protect buildings from flooding or to provide additional height to existing levee systems when flooding reaches critical levels. However, unless emergency placement is planned in advance under the guidance of trained personnel, most sandbag barriers are not built according to proper practices, resulting in leakage and failure. Sandbag walls are not a reliable protection measure because of the considerable effort and time required to provide protection even in relatively shallow water. To be effective, sandbags and sand should be stored and inspected regularly to ensure that the sandbags have not deteriorated.

Flood shields or flood panels are a waterproof structural system that bridges wall openings to prevent flooding from entering. Flood shields work in conjunction with waterproof barriers to resist water penetration. While flood shields are typically temporary measures, they can also be used as permanent flood protection measures. Flood shields transfer flood-induced forces into adjacent structural components and, like sealants, can overstress the structural capacity of a building. Most flood shields are installed on the exterior of an opening, allowing rising floodwater to further compress the gaskets and seals between the flood shield and the wall system or opening framing.

Water-filled barriers: These barriers can be assembled, moved into place, secured, and filled with water with relative ease. The barriers are designed to protect against river flooding depths up to 3 feet; however, the laboratory setup can be easily adapted to allow for testing of panel closures and removable barriers. These barriers are not tested for coastal flooding applications because the presence of salt water may hamper their performance. Since salt water is denser than fresh water, a barrier filled with fresh water in coastal areas may float rather than provide flood protection.

Flood wrap systems are temporary emergency measures. They consist of plastic or other synthetic waterproof membrane materials used to seal a building to prevent water intrusion during a flood. Wrap systems present different challenges than impermeable wall systems: they need to be secured, stored, and repaired. Floodproof wrap systems benefit from barrier reinforcement such as sandbags or plywood walls and should generally be able to withstand one meter of water pressure for a limited time. Wrap systems rely on existing walls, which may need to be reinforced to resist flood loads, but they also need to bridge openings such as windows and doors, which generally requires some type of temporary reinforcement to support the portion of the wrap system that spans the opening. The area of the opening and the level of flood protection should be considered when selecting wrap materials.