FLORIDA — Pasco and Polk counties have opened their sandbag sites ahead of potentially heavy rain and flooding over the weekend. County officials are reminding residents that these sandbags will help protect property in low-lying areas.
Pasco County Sandbag Sites:
Sand and sandbags are available at the following locations in Pasco County.
These two sandbag locations are self-serve and open 24 hours to Pasco County residents. Pasco County Government officials say to bring a shovel and be prepared to fill your own sandbags:
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Pasco County Public Works (C-Barn), 30908 Warder Rd., San Antonio
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Magnolia Valley Golf Course, 7223 Massachusetts Ave., New Port Richey
For this location, City of New Port Richey officials say to show proof of city residency and bring your own shovel as this is a self-service station:
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6420 Pine Hill Rd., New Port Richey
SANDBAGS: #PascoCounty has TWO self-serve sandbag sites open 24/7 to help protect your property from flooding:
📍Magnolia Valley Golf Course, 7223 Massachusetts Ave.
📍Pasco Public Works C-Barn, 30908 Warder Rd.Sand and bags are available; please bring a shovel. #PascoPrepares pic.twitter.com/X4BtmtLdyU
— Pasco County PIO (@PascoCountyPIO) September 9, 2022
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM PUBLIC WORKS:
Due to the potential for heavy rain, sand and sandbags will be available at 6420 Pine Hill Rd. today for city residents. You must show proof of city residency and bring your own shovel as this is a self-service station. pic.twitter.com/RhV1kkjjwF— City of New Port Richey (@CityNPR) September 9, 2022
Polk County Sandbag Sites:
Polk County officials say that the rainy season has prompted the Southwest Florida Water Management District to release an Emergency Final Order in response to high rainfall and anticipated flooding in the North Winter Haven Chain of Lakes area.
Sandbags are available in Polk County at Roadway Maintenance Units through Sept. 14. The following locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, including Sunday.
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Mulberry – 900 NE 5th St., Mulberry, (863) 519-4734
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Lakeland – 8970 N. Campbell Road, Lakeland (863) 815-6701
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Fort Meade – 1061 NE 9th St., Fort Meade (863) 285-6588
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Frostproof – 350 County Road 630A, Frostproof (863) 635-7879
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Auburndale – 1701 Holt Road, Auburndale (863) 965-5524
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Dundee – 805 Dr. Martin Luther King St. SW, Dundee, (863) 421-3367
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Poinciana Park – corner of Lake Hatchineha Road and Marigold Ave.
A maximum of 10 sandbags will be given to each household.
Polk County is making sandbags available throughout the county at Roadway Maintenance Units today through Wednesday, September 14. Locations will be open from 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. each day, including Sunday. For locations, go to https://t.co/pFZkWykSyI in our news section. pic.twitter.com/WMUUdKNN1P
— Polk County Florida (@PolkCountyFL) September 9, 2022
How To Use Sandbags:
Officials with Pasco County say the most effective placement for sandbags includes entry and exit points of your home, such as doorways and garage areas.
Watch a Pasco County video explaining how to properly fill and place sandbags:
Officials with Polk County are offering the following tips at the area where water can enter a structure:
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If not working on concrete, dig a small ditch just deep enough to go below ground level. The ditch should be back far enough from the entrance to allow room to place optional submersible (sump) pumps into the protected area. The edge of the visqueen should be placed in the ditch as a bottom layer.
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Place the first row of sandbags in ditch, fold visqueen over the top of first row, place a second row of bags on top, fold visqueen back over, place a third row of bags on top, and so on. This creates an “S” pattern with the visqueen.
Depending on the size of the barrier, submersible (sump) pumps can be used. The barrier will not completely stop water from entering the protected area; however, with the by properly placing bags, visqueen and sump pumps, water, in most cases, can be removed quickly.
