-izazvati poplavu čega; otvoriti brane
-if an action or a decision opens the floodgates, it allows something to happen a lot or allows many people to do something that was not previously allowed (often + to )
If they win their case it could open the floodgates to others with similar compensation claims.
-to make it possible for something to happen
The court’s decision could open the floodgates for large numbers of other cases involving war crimes.