Protecting Your Property From the Rain

With the prediction of rain this afternoon continuing into Sunday, people in flood-prone neighborhoods are urged to use sandbags to redirect rain and debris away from their home.

But sandbagging takes planning and effort.

“You have to be careful to not deter water from your property into your neighbor’s yard,” said Dennis Morefield, spokesman for Los Angeles County Public Works. “You could end up creating liability problems that could be worse than the water.”

Sandbagging can be done in the rain, but to be really effective it should be done before the downpour begins.

Where To Get Sand

Local garden supply stores, in addition to some city fire department stations and some city street maintenance yards. All county fire department stations are providing sand. If sand isn’t readily available, bags can be filled with dirt or fine gravel.

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City fire department stations in the Valley providing sand:

Station 88

5101 Sepulveda Blvd.

Sherman Oaks

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Station 105

6345 Fallbrook Ave.

Woodland Hills

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Station 108

12520 Mulholland Drive

Encino Hills area

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Los Angeles street maintenance yards providing sand:

10811 Chandler Blvd.

North Hollywood

8 a.m. to noon Saturdays; 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays

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9401 Wentworth

Sunland

noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays; 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Fridays

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6015 Baird Ave.

Reseda

noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays; 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Fridays

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* El Nino hotline number with storm-related information in various languages: (888) El-NINO-1

* Bags are available at all city and county fire stations.

Filling and Stacking the Bags

The most efficient way of filling and stacking sandbags, which are made of either burlap or polypropylene, is shown below:

Fill half full: Overfilling makes the bags heavy and difficult to manage. Sand is suggested, but not mandatory and any local soil may be used.

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Placement: Place with the folded top of the bag in the upstream or uphill direction to prevent bags from opening when water runs by them.

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Open a trash bag and use as a protective layer under the sandbags, if the sandbags are not prone to sliding.

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Stacking them: Layered on top of each other tightly, with each layer staggered. Rows should be no more than three layers, unless they’re supported by a building or placed in a pyramid.

Placing the Bags to Protect BuildingBags placed in front of a door may require the complete closure of the door and necessitate the use of another entrance.

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Layers: Bags should be placed in layers against the building.

Protecting Doors: To protect doors, place plastic sheet against door before stacking sandbags.

Limitations

Sandbags. . .

* will not seal out water.

* deteriorate when exposed for several months to continued wet and dry weather.

* are used basically for low-flow protection, up to 2 feet. Protection from water higher than 2 feet requires a retaining wall or other kind of more permanent structure.

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Other ways to protect your home

* clear rain gutters of debris

* Board up windows and doors to keep out debris

Sources: Los Angeles city and county fire departments. Los Angeles County Public Works; Researched by JULIE SHEER and STEPHANIE STASSEL / Los Angeles Times