Sandbag Locations

Sandbag Locations

NOTE: These sites require residents to fill their own sandbags, and it is recommended that residents bring their own shovel.

Adult Softball Complex/Airbase

9544 East Main Street
Houma, LA 70363
East side of parking lot

Andrew Price School

1849 West Park Avenue
Schriever, LA 70395

Ashland North Volunteer Fire Dept

2671 Grand Caillou Road
Houma, LA 70363

Bayou Dularge Volunteer Fire Dept

1767 Bayou Dularge Road
Houma, LA 70397

Cannata's Parking Lot

6307 West Park Avenue
Houma, LA 70364
Behind Hancock Whitney Bank

Civic Center

346 Civic Center Boulevard
Houma, LA 70364
Bayouside parking lot, near library

Devon Keller Memorial Center

5575 Bayou Black Drive
Gibson, LA 70356

Donner Community Center

361 Azalea Drive
Donner, LA 70352

Little Caillou Fire Station

5016 LA-56
Chauvin, LA 70344
Next to Ward 7

Mechanicville Gym

2814 Senator Street
Houma, LA 70363

Montegut Fire Station

1105 LA-55
Montegut, LA 70377
On the bayouside

St. Ann Catholic Church

14355 LA-24
Bourg, LA 70343
Bayouside parking lot, near tree.

How to Sandbag

Safety

Remember to stay safe when you build your sandbag wall. When building your wall, you should:

  • Use proper lifting techniques when carrying sandbags. A filled sandbag can weigh up to 22 lbs.
  • Remember sand is heavier when wet.
  • Wear gloves and eye protection.
  • Use rubber gloves if you’re coming into contact with storm water.
  • Do not build a single-stack sandbag wall taller than three layers in height, which is about a foot tall. If you need to build higher than one foot tall, construct a pyramid berm.

How to Build a Sandbag Pyramid Berm

How to Construct a Sandbag Berm
  • The sides of your sandbag berm must be sloped inward with the base set on firm ground.
  • Do not build your berm higher than five feet. It should be four times higher than the widest part.
  • Key into the ground at least one sandbag deep and two wide with plastic sheeting threaded through the layers. Do not put sheeting on the outside of the berm.
How to Construct a Sandbag Berm

To create a pyramid berm that’s two feet tall, you’d ideally have a base that’s about four feet wide. A four-foot tall berm would require a base about eight feet wide and so on (see illustration above). In most cases, one to two feet is enough to redirect water and debris flows.

When You Build Your Sandbag Berm

Folding Sandbags
  • A tamped sandbag is about 6" high x 10" wide x 20" long.
  • Bags should be filled to two-thirds full (about five or six shovels full). A properly filled sandbag weighs 40 lbs.
  • Lie the bags in a horizontal course of headers and stretchers. Start and finish the wall with headers and stagger joints in adjacent courses.
  • Do not place bag necks or side seams on the outer face of the berm. When each bag is in place, beat it into shape with a pick handle or similar tool.
  • Tie the necks for transport only. Untie and flatten the necks under the next sandbag.
Folding Sandbags
Place a line of bags with the folded side up, with folded edges facing the direction of water flow. Stomp each bag into place. Stagger the next layer of bags like bricks over the folded tops of the bags underneath.