Purpose of Sandbags

Hills and Valleys

• Mortgage lenders often require flood insurance if you purchase a home in one of the designated flood zones. Flood zones are usually located near an active water source: flowing river, spring-fed ponds, sea-level home sites, mountain valleys that accept snow melt runoff or flat areas where water can accumulate for lack of catch basins. Sandbags to avoid flood-related damage to property seasonally protect some of these areas.

  You can certainly avoid expensive flood insurance as well as the need for water control with sandbags by looking for property that is located away from areas that are prone to flooding. Head for the hills where the search for suitable housing would be the solution to flooding.

  That should eliminate the need for expensive flood insurance added to your homeowner insurance. However, you may still need the sandbags. They help to control structural wind damage. As the impact of weather-related incidences grows, more people find that sandbags offer protection from dangerous winds from weather events such as blizzards, hurricanes and tornadoes.

Army Corps of Engineers

• The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a respected branch of the military. It has built bridges, widened highways and protected properties from the ravages of weather events. It has also published material to help citizens prepare their own sandbags for use.

  The procedure for the preparation of sandbags for use is:

  Find a helper--this is a two-person activity.
  Purchase the untreated burlap bags from hardware or livestock feed stores.
  Select a location near the site where the filled sandbags will be used.
  Fill the sandbags with heavy or sandy soil, never with gravel or rocky soil.
  Fold the top of sandbag to form a collar for better holding control.
  Use a shovel to move the sand from its current location into the burlap bag.
  Fill the bag only one-third to one-half capacity equaling about 30 pounds.
  Leave the top of filled bag untied, but fold the corners of unfilled portion to form triangle and drop triangle down and against the filled part of each sandbag.

  The sandbag is now ready for use. The Corps of Engineers prepares a stock of sandbags, issues them to local governments, other agencies and flood control districts in an amount suitable for the developing emergency. Unused sandbags, by policy, go back to the disbursement site. Used sandbags require replacement or payment UNLESS the government for the area of sandbag usage issued a flood emergency. Under that condition, the stockpile does not need replacement or reimbursement.

Sandbag Homes

• In some parts of the world, sandbags make a great insulation product and a very sturdy structure. New construction begins with stick-built framing. Sandbags fill the space between framing timbers and walls secure the sandbags in place. This creates an environmentally friendly structure, uses very little lumber and is resistant to high winds.

  Southern Africa is the site of an entire community of sweat-equity sandbag homes. The new owner pays less for the home by contributing time and effort toward the process of construction. As an extra incentive, the sandbag structure also costs less and uses natural material that is immediately available.

Contemporary Sandbags

• The alternative to traditional sandbags has finally come onto the scene. The E-Z Bag is a contemporary sandless sandbag. It stores flat until needed. An E-Z Bag is neither labor-intensive nor burdened by weight. The bag inflates when placed in water. This process requires only five minutes.

  Aside from the normal uses of a sandbag, this bag assists in the agricultural process of "greening"--an environmental root-growth process. After use, the bags become unusable and must be soaked in a special solution, then burned or buried. Either way, these biodegradable bags dissolve naturally.

Household Practicalities

• One other use for the traditional sandbag happens inside the home. Warm a smaller version of the sandbag and use in place of the hot water bottle, warm brick or electric heating pad. Prepare a flannel cloth bag (8 by 8 inches) and fill it with fine sand dried thoroughly in a pot on the stove. Sew the opening together and use linen or cotton cloth as a bag cover.

  The sand heats quickly in the oven or on the stovetop and holds heat for a long time. It gradually tapers off without causing discomfort to the user. To conserve gas or electricity, this bag heats in a minute or two on high in the microwave oven.