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Call Polk County’s Citizen’s Information for Hurricane Milton-related questions (863) 298-7500 or toll-free (866)661-0228. Residential Hurricane Milton Debris Hotline (833) 843-1920 active 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Sandbag Sites to Open in Polk County on Tuesday

Published: September 23, 2024

Bartow, Fla. (Sept. 23, 2024) — Polk County is making sandbags available throughout the county on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Locations listed below will be open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sandbag site locations are:

A maximum of 10 sandbags will be provided to each household address to help prevent water intrusion into the home. You will need to bring a driver’s license to show your local address.

Residents living in flood prone areas are encouraged to sandbag their homes. To protect against water damage, follow these simple sandbagging techniques. At the area where water can enter a structure:

  • If not working on concrete, dig a small ditch just deep enough to go below ground level. The ditch should be back far enough from the entrance to allow room to place optional submersible (sump) pumps into the protected area. The edge of the visqueen should be placed in the ditch as a bottom layer.
  • Place the first row of sandbags in ditch, fold visqueen over the top of first row, place a second row of bags on top, fold visqueen back over, place a third row of bags on top, and so on. This creates an “S” pattern with the visqueen.

Depending on the size of the barrier, submersible (sump) pumps can be used. The barrier will not completely stop water from entering the protected area; however, by properly placing bags, visqueen and sump pumps, water, in most cases, can be removed quickly.


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