WEBVTT 00:06.219 --> 00:08.108 I'm gonna talk a little bit about 00:08.108 --> 00:10.420 sandbag protection using sandbags to 00:10.430 --> 00:12.652 build levees around structures . You're 00:12.652 --> 00:14.541 trying to protect from high water 00:14.541 --> 00:16.652 before we get started . Make sure you 00:16.652 --> 00:18.930 have the right supplies . We need sand , 00:18.930 --> 00:21.590 uh , sandbags 16 by 30 to 32 inches 00:21.600 --> 00:24.559 pointed shovel plastic sheeting and 00:24.569 --> 00:27.149 optional is plywood stakes and two by 00:27.159 --> 00:29.860 four wood lumber . Obviously , the most 00:29.870 --> 00:32.037 important thing for your protection is 00:32.037 --> 00:34.203 gonna be the sandbag . A basic sandbag 00:34.203 --> 00:37.009 is 16 by 30 to 32 inches . The 00:37.020 --> 00:38.853 homeowner is gonna have a lot of 00:38.853 --> 00:41.076 sandbags to choose from . They're gonna 00:41.076 --> 00:43.076 be big bags like pinto bean bags or 00:43.076 --> 00:45.076 potato bags , but these can be very 00:45.076 --> 00:47.298 hard to fill and very large making them 00:47.298 --> 00:49.353 harder to lift later . Most of these 00:49.353 --> 00:51.576 bags are made from poly . Um , they are 00:51.576 --> 00:53.687 also burlap bags which are better but 00:53.687 --> 00:55.853 more expensive . The plastic bag right 00:55.853 --> 00:58.119 here is your basic sandbag and the one 00:58.130 --> 01:00.409 you want to look for , we want to fill 01:00.419 --> 01:02.340 the sandbags only half to three 01:02.349 --> 01:04.516 quarters full because we want to leave 01:04.516 --> 01:06.682 some room in the bag . So when the bag 01:06.682 --> 01:08.849 is laid down , it can settle in . This 01:08.849 --> 01:10.793 makes really nice solid protective 01:10.793 --> 01:13.360 barrier weighing about £50 . It's 01:13.370 --> 01:15.314 important to have a pointed shovel 01:15.314 --> 01:17.537 instead of a square shovel . So you can 01:17.537 --> 01:19.699 fit it in the bag point , the shovel 01:19.709 --> 01:22.830 down into the sand and take about three 01:22.839 --> 01:25.209 or four shovelfuls to fill the bag half 01:25.220 --> 01:27.470 full and about one more to get two 01:27.480 --> 01:29.702 thirds full . And that's as full as you 01:29.702 --> 01:32.510 want for a bag wash . Clean sand is 01:32.519 --> 01:34.949 best for filling sandbags . You can buy 01:34.959 --> 01:37.126 it from sand and gravel companies . In 01:37.126 --> 01:38.737 fact , if you live along the 01:38.737 --> 01:40.848 Mississippi river , there are several 01:40.848 --> 01:42.903 beneficial use sites up and down the 01:42.903 --> 01:44.792 river where you can get free high 01:44.792 --> 01:46.848 quality sand . The rule of thumb for 01:46.848 --> 01:48.959 constructing a sandbag levee is three 01:48.959 --> 01:51.790 times as wide as is high . So for a 3 01:51.809 --> 01:53.879 ft high sandbag levee , we'd like to 01:53.889 --> 01:57.029 see it be 9 ft wide . When laying the 01:57.040 --> 01:59.209 sandbags , you want to lay them 01:59.220 --> 02:01.639 parallel with the flow with the open 02:01.690 --> 02:04.459 end facing downstream . And then when 02:04.470 --> 02:07.639 you put the next roll of sandbags on , 02:07.690 --> 02:10.649 you want to nestle that sandbag into 02:10.850 --> 02:12.929 the end of the previous sandbag . So 02:12.940 --> 02:14.718 you're staggering those and you 02:14.718 --> 02:17.509 continue to do that all the way up to 02:17.520 --> 02:19.679 the top of your levee that provides a 02:19.690 --> 02:23.160 really good seal for seepage . Next 02:23.169 --> 02:25.800 place poly which is plastic sheeting 02:25.809 --> 02:28.580 over the levee do this by putting your 02:28.589 --> 02:30.779 first roll of sandbags on the water 02:30.789 --> 02:32.956 side of the plastic in order to anchor 02:32.956 --> 02:35.580 it down and then pull the poly up over 02:35.589 --> 02:38.380 the top seepage underneath the poly is 02:38.389 --> 02:40.820 gonna occur , but it provides a solid 02:40.830 --> 02:42.839 barrier against the water and will 02:42.850 --> 02:45.072 reduce the seepage through the levee by 02:45.072 --> 02:48.580 60 to 70% . Once the plastic is over 02:48.589 --> 02:50.779 the top , anchor it down , so the wind 02:50.789 --> 02:52.789 doesn't blow it loose and ruin your 02:52.789 --> 02:56.240 efforts . Additionally , you're gonna 02:56.250 --> 02:58.380 have to be pumping on the backside of 02:58.389 --> 03:01.309 the levee to manage seepage . The more 03:01.320 --> 03:03.490 you can keep the water out , the less 03:03.500 --> 03:05.710 pumps you'll need to control interior 03:05.720 --> 03:08.149 water from damaging the structures . 03:08.160 --> 03:10.529 You're trying to protect . Another type 03:10.539 --> 03:13.110 of barrier is called a flash board levy 03:13.119 --> 03:15.119 which allows you to create a bigger 03:15.119 --> 03:17.710 barrier more quickly . This is created 03:17.720 --> 03:19.979 by placing stakes in the ground and 03:19.990 --> 03:23.080 attaching pieces of plywood . One on 03:23.089 --> 03:25.929 either side , the two pieces of plywood 03:25.940 --> 03:27.773 are parallel so you can fill the 03:27.773 --> 03:30.830 interior with sand . Additionally , you 03:30.839 --> 03:32.895 can construct a barrier with plywood 03:32.895 --> 03:35.380 behind a row of sandbags with two by 03:35.389 --> 03:38.190 four bracing behind it to keep it from 03:38.199 --> 03:40.850 sliding . If the water is pushing the 03:40.860 --> 03:43.130 bags back , this will help keep the 03:43.139 --> 03:45.279 bags from sliding , thus causing a 03:45.289 --> 03:48.889 failure . Another option is putting the 03:48.899 --> 03:51.610 plywood on the water side and using 03:51.619 --> 03:54.750 stacked sandbags against it as a ball 03:54.839 --> 03:56.979 to reduce the amount of bracing 03:56.990 --> 03:59.289 required to make a functional barrier . 04:00.940 --> 04:03.380 Following these basic steps will ensure 04:03.389 --> 04:05.278 that your sandbagging efforts are 04:05.278 --> 04:07.820 successful in protecting your home and 04:07.830 --> 04:09.830 your community from flooding due to 04:09.830 --> 04:10.550 high water .