ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – There will be sandbag locations available this weekend in several Central Florida counties as a tropical wave near threatens to bring heavy rain.
The tropical wave is expected to emerge off of Cuba and it could become a tropical depression this weekend either over the Straits of Florida or the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Central Florida can expect tropical downpours to start entering the area by Saturday with the highest chances by Sunday through Tuesday.
Residents and city officials are preparing for the weather by storm prepping.
“I think right now, all we’re going to get is heavy rain at worst,” said Paul Kenny, who lives in Winter Springs. “This could dump a lot of rain into the area.”
Several locations across Central Florida are offering free sandbags, an effective method at preventing residential flood damage, to help with preparation efforts.
“It doesn’t hurt to be on the safe side and get ready,” said Debbie Ubaldini, a resident of Oviedo. “We just do some precautions in case we have a need for this.”
Listed below are the locations you can visit for sandbags. Residents should bring their own shovels.
Seven sandbag locations will open Aug. 2 from 2-7 p.m. Starting Saturday, the sites will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until weather conditions become unsafe. Sand and bags will be available on site, but residents should bring their own shovels and will need to fill their own bags.
Residents who need assistance filling bags can visit one of the three locations marked with asterisks (**). Those locations will have inmates on-site to prepare sandbags for those who need help.