Sandbag distribution sites are open around the Tampa Bay region as residents brace for Tropical Storm Idalia to approach the area as a hurricane.
Getting those sandbags can often involve waiting in long lines and a lot of heavy lifting, so Hillsborough County officials are encouraging residents to consider whether they really need the sandbags before showing up.
The first thing to do is determine your flood zone, said Mikah Collins, program coordinator with the county’s parks and recreation department, who spoke at a sandbag demonstration in Tampa earlier this summer.
“Are you in an A or B area where you’re really prone to flooding? Then yes, you’re going to need those sandbags,” he said. “If you’re not in an A or B zone you might want to think about doing other preparations to prepare your house because flooding isn’t as likely in that flood zone.”
Residents can get 10 sandbags per family at county distribution sites, each weighing about 50 pounds.
“Once you load up your vehicle that’s going to be about 500 extra pounds on your vehicle, so you want to make sure the vehicle you’re bringing can accommodate that extra weight, it’s really important,” Collins said.
“And just keep in mind you’re going to be loading these yourself at the distribution site, you’re going to be unloading them yourself once you return to your residency so it’s important to know, do you really need these? Because it’s pretty labor intensive.”
Assistance is available at distribution sites for residents with special needs, Collins said. He encourages everyone to bring someone along to help if they can.
Once home, identify areas where water could get in, like a doorway. Line that area with some sort of plastic protective barrier like a tarp and then stack the sandbags flat in a slightly overlapped pattern on top of that.
If you’re thinking you can protect an entire garage door or numerous windows and doorways around your home with the 10 sandbags from the county, Collins says think again. Those 10 bags can really only cover one or two doors, he said.
Residents who might show up to grab a few bags just in case aren’t effectively protecting their home – and they may be taking time and supplies away from folks who truly need them, while reducing their own time to prepare for the storm in other ways.
“The sandbag is really weight to hold down the plastic on your door so the water cannot get through the plastic and under your door, so three bags is not really going to do much of anything at all,” Collins said. “You need all 10 to cover one or two doors.”
Once you get your sandbags, Collins said to start stacking them shortly after returning home so they’re in place before bad weather approaches.
Hillsborough County has distribution sites open on Monday from 9:00am to 7:00pm at the following locations:
- Edward Medard Conservation Park, 6140 Turkey Creek Rd., Plant City, FL 33567
- E.G. Simmons Conservation Park, 2401 19th Ave. NW, Ruskin, FL 33570
- Ed Radice Sports Complex, 14720 Ed Radice Dr., Tampa, FL 33626
- Larry Sanders Sports Complex, 5855 S. 78th St., Tampa, FL 33619
Here’s a list of other sandbag locations in the greater Tampa Bay region.
