The Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES) has called on homeowners and other property owners to prepare to protect their homes and premises by learning how to fill and lay sandbags.
VICSES said weather warnings were in place earlier this week (9 June) for the risk of both flash and riverine flooding following heavy rainfall in parts of the State.
“Sandbags are just one tool that can be used to try to prevent water from entering your home if filled and laid correctly,” VICSES said.
“It is important to note that flood water can rise quickly and water often gets through, even if sandbags have been filled and laid correctly,” it said.
“Consider your safety and other actions such as lifting valuables onto tables and benchtops and leaving for higher ground.”
VICSES said unfilled sandbags and sand were available to purchase from hardware stores and people should keep an eye out for VICSES sandbag collection points that may be set up in townships if and when required.
The Service said when filling sandbags, people should only use sand to fill hessian bags, not dirt; only fill them to two-thirds full; not tie a knot in the top of the bag; and take care when filling and lifting the bags to avoid injury.
It said when laying sandbags, people should lay them like brickwork, in staggered rows; from one end of the area to the other; ensure the unfilled part of the bag was covered by the next bag in the row; and ensure sandbag walls more than five bags high were two rows wide.
VICSES said sandbags should be placed in plastic bags to cover drainage holes in the home and in small walls across doorways.
VICSES’s one-page sandbagging guide can be accessed at this PS News link.
