As a series of heavy El Niño-driven storms sweep San Diego County, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) is offering free sandbags to residents in some communities prone to floods.
SDFD spokesman Lee Swanson said the department will provide free sandbags for residents and businesses at select fire stations throughout the county.
Those locations include the following:
- Station 21 at 750 Grand Avenue Pacific Beach
- Station 28 at 3880 Kearny Villa Road Kearny Mesa
- Station 29 at 198 W. San Ysidro Blvd San Ysidro
- Station 45 at 9366 Friars Road Mission Valley
There is a limit of 10 sandbags per household or business, Swanson said. While the SDFD can provide some sandbags, they do not have the sand to fill those bags.
All stations throughout San Diego have sandbags, Swanson said, but they are only available when personnel are at the station.
On Thursday, San Diego City Councilman Scott Sherman, teaming with District 7 business Superior Ready Mix and the Urban Corp., plan to hand out free sand and sandbags to San Diego residents at Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley.
The giveaway starts at 10 a.m. and will go until supplies run out. On Thursday morning, there was a long line at the stadium of residents waiting to get their sandbags ahead of more rainfall.
Sandbags, which are typically used for flood control, can also be purchased from local retailers and home improvement stores. They can be placed around properties to curb damage from strong storms.
San Diego has been pummeled by El Niño-fueled storms this week that have prompted dozens of weather warnings across the county, including a brief and very rare tornado warning on Wednesday afternoon in north San Diego. The heavy rainfall has also caused a lot of damage, including sinkholes, flooding and mudslides, leading to many road closures across the city.
The current storm is expected to diminish in strength Thursday evening, with the chance of rain dropping to about 20 percent. Another storm system is expected to hone in on San Diego over the weekend.
