With heavy winds and rains expected to bare down later this afternoon, city officials announced that additional sandbags are being made available today for residents living in vulnerable areas in the city that have historically been prone to flooding.
Though Hilary has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm as it touches down in Southern California, cities such as Long Beach continued their efforts Sunday to protect coastal properties by using bulldozers to build berms across the beach and deploying several sand-filling stations.
As of Saturday, the city had distributed somewhere between 40,000 to 50,000 sandbags, “more than any other time,” according to Mayor Rex Richardson. The demand was unprecedented, according to city officials, sending volunteers to stores across the city in search of additional bags. Some people could be seen at Bay Shore Beach filling up their own bags.
By Sunday, the city expects the number of sandbags issued to be around 55,000.
Empty sandbags are available at all neighborhood fire stations in the city. Sandbags and sand to fill them are available at:
- Station 7 (2295 Elm St.)
- Station 12 (1199 Artesia Blvd.)
- Station 13 (2475 Adriatic Ave.)
- Station 14 (5200 Eliot St.)
- Lifeguard Station at 72nd Place and Ocean Blvd.
- Claremont Beach Lot (5400 E Ocean Blvd.)
Sand and sandbags are available only to Long Beach residents, according to officials. Residents are required to bring their IDs and are limited to a maximum of 10 sandbags.
Officials also advise residents to bring their own shovel or tool for collecting sand, and anyone that needs assistance filling up the bags is recommended to visit the Lifeguard Station at 72nd Place for additional support.
City News Service contributed to this report.