Homeowners in flood zones are familiar with the need for sandbags; they are also familiar with the fact that sandbags and heavy and inconvenient. Most homeowners must transport heavy sandbags from a central community point back to their property. That also requires time, which you may not have.
Fortunately, there are viable alternatives for sandbags that are lightweight and easy to store. These alternatives to traditional sandbags can be kept in a closet or the garage and can be deployed quickly. Homeowners will no longer need to fill sandbags with a shovel and then transport them back to their property.
Some of these alternatives for sandbags fill within minutes with water from your garden hose. They perform just as well as traditional sandbags but are easily reused and stored. Others are filled with a special powder, that instantly expands when in contact with floodwaters. However, once these have been deployed, they cannot be emptied, stored, and reused.
Another product to consider is flood screens; rather than cutting plastic trash bags to secure over doors, plastic flood screens feature self-adhesive tape that makes a water-tight seal against doors. However, flood screens are made to be used with sandbags or a sandbag alternative, so you’ll need both.
If you live in a flood-prone area, investing in flood screens and sandbag alternatives is a smart move. They are generally low cost, and can ultimately save your home from thousands of dollars in flood damage.
