Hinged along the bottom surface, these permanently mounted floodgates recess into the ground/floor surface in front of the opening to be protected. The main advantage is that when not in use, they can blend into the environment without drawing much attention. Any size opening can be accommodated for any loading requirement, with larger panels requiring mechanical or power (hydraulic) assistance. They can be as simple as manually lifting a small panel up and securing it against a lip seal type frame, or as complicated as push button raising and lowering of the panel, and inflation of the inflatable gaskets. They are available with compression, inflatable, or lip seal gaskets depending on the application.