ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County offered free sand and bags to put it in Monday and Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton.
RELATED: St. Johns County declares state of emergency for Hurricane Milton, all SJCSD schools closed
There was as much experience between shovelers as there is sand at North Beach Park, which is one of the locations offering sand until 5 p.m. Monday and between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Rover Rice lives in St. Johns County and knows that free sand and a bag go a long way this time of year. He also said he has to think positively about the coming storm.
“It is the difference of three and a half of feet of water in your garage and one inch,” Rover Rice said.
People living in this area know that it’s not just the rain, but the flooding coming from the intracoastal that has historically been a problem in that part of St. Johns County.
Rice explained how he lays out the sand in his garage.
“Put the duct tape down and the rubber seal on your garage door will make contact,” Rice said. “Then on the outside you have to put the plastic down at least three or four feet down and then alternate them.”
St. Johns County is offering free sand at the below locations:
St. Johns County will provide free sandbags on Monday, Oct. 7, from 12 to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., as long as weather permits and supplies last at the following six locations ahead of impacts from Milton:
- Windswept Acres Park– 5335 SR A1A South, St. Augustine
- Solomon Calhoun Center–1300 Duval Street, St. Augustine
- St. Johns County Equestrian Center– 8200 Smith Road, Hastings
- Mills Field– 1805 Racetrack Road, St. Augustine
- North Beach Park–3721 Coastal Highway, Vilano Beach
- Palm Valley Bridge– East Side of Intracoastal Waterway
In coordination, the City of St. Augustine will provide free sandbags on Monday, Oct. 7, from 1 to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., as long as weather permits and supplies last at the following location:
- Francis Field – 25 W. Castillo Dr, St. Augustine
The sand and bags will be provided free of charge. The public must provide their own transportation and shovels and will be responsible for filling their own bags. There is a maximum allocation of 20 bags per person. A sandbag typically weighs about 30 to 40 pounds.
St. Johns County Emergency Management encourages the public to stay informed through these options:
- Follow St. Johns County Emergency Management on Facebook (facebook.com/StJohnsEOC) and X/Twitter (x.com/StJohnsEOC).
- Sign up for the Alert St. Johns emergency notification system at www.sjcemergencymanagement.com.
- Ensure the notification settings selected allow you to be alerted at all times for your safety.
- Register for Nixle Alerts by texting StJohnsEOC to 888777.
“Sandbags are just a great resource for people who are concerned about flooding,” Meghan Whitlock Public Affairs Specialist of SJC Public Works said.
For reference, the state put out a simple chart to help you get it right.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management said to fill the bags about halfway up, or just a little over. They will end up weighing around 35-40 pounds. If you overfill them, you could leave space for water to get through. There is also a helpful chart on how many you may need per foot of storm surge,
When you lay them down, lay them flat on the ground, overlapped, tamped into place and situated like some stair steps.
“You can put a tarp down and then put the bags in front of places where you feel water might be coming into your home,” Whitlock said.
Larry Barron is visiting from Tampa and came to St. Johns County to visit his nephew.
His heart is torn thinking about what Hurricane Milton will do to his home and the others who live there.
“The storm surge could be 12 feet this time,” Barron said. “I do not know if I will have a house to go home to this time.”
All he and the others can do is prepare and hold out hope.
“Living, loving earth, and loving God and doing what I can do,” Barron said.
Phillip Smith owns the Phillip Anthony Signature Gallery. He started prepping earlier than normal.
“I think what I’ve seen is just kind of learning and understanding what our big problems are going to be,” Smith said. “When it’s coming up the East Coast, the surge is going to be a big problem, you know? So wind is what we’re concerned about. So we’re gonna board our windows tonight.”