It's Sandbag Season In El Paso Again

It doesn't rain much in El Paso. When it does, we get most of our yearly total in a few weeks ... if not days ... so, the flooding is bad. Hence the sandbags.

The monsoon season is upon us. If you have lived here a while, you know where I'm going with this, if you haven't then, prepare yourself as, even the desert floods.

The months of July and August can bring some pretty intense thunderstorms. During those storms ... which will probably cause the EAS system to go off several times a day, every damn day ... the rainfall can be very heavy. In addition to what falls from the sky, water running off the mountain can double the amount of standing/rushing water in certain areas.

Sooooo, every year the city offers residents free sandbags. This year though, there is only one location for you to pick 'em up. The El Paso Water Company website posted this explanation:

The satellite sandbag locations will not open this year, in the interest of minimizing employee exposure to COVID-19 and maximizing resources where they are needed most. In the event of a major flooding event, an emergency stormwater response team will set up sandbag pick-up stations in targeted areas.

Get yours at the Stormwater Operations Center, 4801 Fred Wilson. Keep in mind:

Hours are 8am - 8pm Monday - Friday and 2pm - 8pm Saturday and Sunday.
The bags are free and the limit is 10.
A valid El Paso water bill or a valid Texas photo ID is required.
Bring help if you can't load the bags yourself. Stormcenter employees will not be able to assist you.
Be careful driving, puddles can be deceiving and rushing water can be deadly.

For more info, click here.