How to Make Your Own Sandbags
One of the most common ways to quickly create a barrier to hold back flood waters is by building a dike made of sandbags. Although prefilled sandbags are often available from home improvement stores, if you live in an area prone to flooding it pays to know how to make your own. Sandbags can be made from either cloth bags that are specifically designed to work as sandbags or, in a pinch, plastic contractor cleanup bags. Working efficiently, you should be able to make a significant number of sandbags in a short period of time. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Set up a filling area where both the sand and a stack of bags are within reach. Ask a family member or friend to assist you in filling the sandbags; having help will make the process go much faster.
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2
Have your assistant hold one of the bags open while you use a shovel to fill the bag with sand. Add sand until the bag is at least a quarter full and no more than half full.
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3
Flatten the empty top half of the bag into a flap. Fold the flap down and use duct tape to secure it to the sand-filled portion of the bag. If you don't have any duct tape or would rather save time, you can simply fold the top down without taping.
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4
Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you have as many sandbags as you need.
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Tips & Warnings
Both you and your assistant may want to wear gloves while filling sandbags, because sand can be very abrasive to the skin.
When stacking your sandbags to hold back flood waters, stack them with the taped or open ends of the bags facing down. This will help prevent water from seeping into the bags.
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