IN AN EMERGENCY: FLOOD - Sandbagging

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During the rainy season (late November through April), cities provides free, filled sandbags, or sand and empty bags, at many locations around the city.

How to Use Sandbags

Sandbags alone should not be relied on to keep water outside a building. Use baffle boards (plywood sheeting) or sheets of plastic tarp with sandbags. To form a sandbag wall, place bags tightly against one another to form the first layer of defense. Stagger the second and subsequent layers of bags, much like the pattern of bricks in a wall.

Sandbags should never be used to build a fortress around the perimeter of one's property. Doing so can actually trap floodwaters between sandbag walls and structures, leading to further damage.

Steps to protect your home

How to make baffle boards to temporarily seal foundation vents, windows, doorways and garage doorways:

These steps should only be taken immediately prior to flooding and removed immediately after the threat of flooding has passed.

Taking these precautions will minimize the amount of water and sediment entering your home and crawl space and prevent damage to your home’s structure.

However:

Keep in mind that sealing off foundation vents prohibits air circulation under your home. These measures to protect your home should be temporary and should be removed immediately after the threat of flooding has passed. Opening vents after or in between storms is critical to protect your homes foundation and sub floor and prevent the growth of mold and mildew in your crawl space.

Before Flooding is a Threat

If you believe your home is in danger of being flooded, there are steps you can take in advance of a flood to reduce property damage.

For homes with cement slab floors:

For homes with wood floors and crawl spaces:

When the Rainy Season is Over

The Santa Clara Valley Water District recommends that residents and business owners keep sandbags on hand at least through mid-April since significant amounts of rain can visit the valley during late-winter and early-spring storms. Once the threat of flooding is over, however, there are several ways to dispose of sandbags.

Bags provided are filled with clean, washed sand that can be added to gardens as a soil amendment. Sandbags can also be returned to the sites where the bags were obtained by May 15. The water district asks residents to place used sandbags atop pallets for ease of removal. Sandbags should not be tossed into garbage receptacles because they take up valuable space in landfills.

*Information provided by the Santa Clara Valley Water Disrict and others.

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