Protecting Homes With Sandbags

Filling and Stacking the Bags The most efficient way of filling and stacking sandbags, which are made of either burlap or nylon, is shown below: *

Fill halfway: Overfilling makes the bags heavy and difficult to manage. *

Placement: Place with the flap tied or tucked under and pointed in the direction of the water or mud’s flow. *

Stacking: Place bags on top of each other tightly, with each layer staggered. Rows should be no more than three layers, unless supported by a building or stacked in a pyramid. *

Placing the Bags to Protect Building Use layers: Layers of bags should be placed against building. *

Protecting doors: To prevent water and mud from seeping under a sliding glass door, a plastic sheet should be placed against glass with sandbags or a plywood barrier holding the plastic in place. *

Directing Debris Away From Building Make a line: Layers of bags should be lined up away from house to divert flow of debris. *

Keep it in the street: Often curbs cannot contain floodwaters. Bags can be lined along the street to help contain the flow. *

Where to Get Sandbags The city and county fire departments are providing empty sandbags. Residents must pick up and fill the bags themselves. *

City Fire Department Some stations are providing a maximum of 25 bags per person or family. An unlimited number can be obtained if a resident has a sandbagging plot plan written by a Flood Control District engineer. *

County Fire Department Some county stations fare providing an unlimited number of bags. For the nearest station call community relations at (213) 881-2411. *

Where to Get Sand Gravel or garden supply stores. If sand isn’t readily available, bags can be filled with dirt, mud or rocks. *

Bags stacked in a pyramid, with closed end facing into the flow. *

Rain falling on hills bare of vegetation creates a flood danger. *

Cut slope drain to direct and slow flow of water. *

Plant slopes near home to absorb water and mud. *

Use a permanent brick wall to divert debris from home. *

Allow large path for flow of debris. *

Place layers of sandbags against building. *

Board up doors and windows to keep out debris. *

Erect temporary wooden fence to deflect debris from home. *

Sliding glass doors protected by plastic sheet. Sources: Los Angeles city and county fire departments; Researched and written by JULIE SHEER / Los Angeles Times