Help For Stopping Flooding

The McHenry County Emergency Management Agency would like to remind residents that sandbags are available through your township or municipality to protect your homes from flooding.  If you live in an incorporated area, contact your municipality for sandbag supplies.  Contact your local township for assistance if you live in an unincorporated area. It is recommended that plastic sheeting, available at local retailers, be used with sand bags.  

instructions on setting up an effective sandbag barrier are available online from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. Important tips from the Army Corps of Engineers when sandbagging include:

Sandbag Construction

·     Use a treated burlap sack that is 14 inches wide and 24 inches long.  Fill two thirds full if untied. Use tied bags (filled slightly fuller to hold plastic sheeting or straw bales in place). 

·     Two or three person operation works best 

·     Consider vehicle transportation and access to flood site when bags are filled at a distant location. 

Best Fill Materials

1. Sand

2. Silt, clay or gravels; or

3. Alternatives: Straw bales, concrete jersey barriers, and ecology blocks

Sandbag Placement

·     Tips for placement include: removing debris from areas,

·     Place bags lengthwise and parallel to direction of flow with the open facing upstream,

·     Fill low spots first and start at the downstream end and 1 foot landward from river.

·     Fold the open end of the bag under the filled portion. 

·     Place succeeding bags tightly against and partially overlapping the previous one. 

·     Offset adjacent rows by one half bag length.

Safety Tips When Sandbagging

·     Use proper lifting techniques

·     Use work gloves and avoid contact with eyes

·     Wear adequate layered clothing and wear boots

·     Use caution around heavy equipment operations

·     Wear with reflective material for night work.

Stay tuned for periodic updates from McHenry County at www.co.mchenry.il.us, Facebook, and Twitter or by calling the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency at 815-338-6400.

For more information on flood-related issues and recovery, visit the Illinois Department of Public Health at http://www.idph.state.il.us/floodinfo/index.htm