You have sandbags, now what do you do with them?

Many coastal residents stock up on sandbags in preparation of a hurricane’s arrival.

Sandbags can be a cheap and effective way to minimize flood damage if used correctly.

Here are some tips:

1. Remember vulnerable spots: Identify the most vulnerable points of entry for flood water in your home. Places to consider include garage doors, front doors, patio doors and low-entry windows.
   
   
2. Don’t fill your sandbags all the way: If you are filling bags yourself, try to keep them one half to two-thirds full of coarse sand, according to a tip sheet from the Louisiana State University Ag Center. Overfilled bags will be too firm, and will not nestle together when stacked to keep out flood water.
3. Use a tarp if you have one: Before building your sandbag wall, try to lay a tarp over the base of the opening and run it up the wall, according to a Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency sandbag pamphlet. Place sandbags on the tarp and as you build upward, the bags will keep the tarp in place for an extra line of defense against flood water.
4. Stagger sandbags when stacking: Try to create a patchwork wall with your sandbags, instead of lining them up directly on top of one another. Dug Stevenson, from Quinte Conservation, suggests alternating the orientation of sandbags “almost like a brick wall” with each row to make a tighter seal.
5. After flood waters recede, dispose of sandbags immediately: Remember that your sandbags probably absorbed flood water, which according to Sandbag News can “contain sewage, oil, bacteria or other hazardous materials.” Don’t keep your used sandbags for another storm, dispose of them at a County Convenience Center once it reopens.

Need more information? Check out The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sandbagging techniques pamphlet here.

This story was originally published September 13, 2018 at 12:37 PM with the headline "You have sandbags, now what do you do with them?."