Santa Rosa County is offering free sand to residents ahead of anticipated heavy rainfall and flooding from Invest 93L.
According to the U.S. National Weather Service Mobile Office, local impacts will be dependent on whether this system stays near the coastline or stays out over the Gulf. Potential impact could include scattered storms and heavy rainfall as early as Wednesday afternoon and lasting through Friday morning.
Due to the potential flood threat, the county’s public works department has sand available on a first-come, first-served basis at the following locations:
Residents must provide their own sandbags and shovel. Bags can be purchased at many local hardware stores. For information on how to make and use sandbags, visit the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (www.flash.org). While sandbags can help mitigate to an extent, buying flood insurance is the best protection against flood loss.
Floods are the nation’s most common and costly natural disaster and cause millions of dollars in damage every year.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa offers free sand ahead of possible storms, flooding
Reporting by Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
