Get Ready SLO

Ah, yes, the dreaded sandbags. Actually, sandbags are your friends. They can push flowing water around your property rather than through it - which is the objective, right?

Here are a few tips for using sandbags:

• Fill bags only half full.
• Fold over the empty top of the bag to prevent sand from leaking out.
• Place each bag over the folded top of the preceding bag and stamp each bag into place before placing the next bag.
• Always finish one complete layer of sandbags before starting the next layer.
• Stagger the second layer of bags, stamping each bag into place before placing on the next bag.

Remember, sandbags have absolutely no effect - or very little, at least - on standing water. And, unfortunately, they can't be prepared ahead of time because they'll rot.

Allow plenty of time to fill them, which you'll be doing right before or during a storm. Grab those neighbors and cash in a few favors. (Some advice: Return their rakes and saws and other stuff you've borrowed before you ask for their help.)

Before heavy storms, sandbags can be filled at four locations within the city. Sand is deposited at these locations only in anticipation of a forecasted, significant rain event i.e. 2-3 inches rainfall.

The City of San Luis Obispo Public Works Department has an interactive flood zone map. If you are unable to view it, you can give us a call at 781-7201 or drop by the City Engineering Division offices at 919 Palm Street for more information.

Stay calm, winter is not a time for ulcers. It's a time to be prepared, so first things first. There are many things you can do waaaaay before you start filling sandbags or buying seltzer tablets.

Like...finding out about flood insurance. Since homeowner's insurance policies do not cover damage from floods, talk to your insurance agent about flood insurance. You can also call the National Flood Insurance Program at (888) Call-Flood.

Like...investigating that creek or drainage way near your property. Has it flooded in the past? How much rain causes it to overflow? During wet weather, keep a watch on the rising water. Report any potential problems to the folks at 781-7220 (City Corporation Yard).

Like...rolling up your sleeves - and pant legs - and cleaning out the gunk from drainage ways located near your property. Call the City at 781-RAIN and report fallen trees and broken drains or pipes now, so we can get out there and make repairs before the rainy season begins.

You bet! Give the folks at the SLO Public Works Department at 781-RAIN and we'll do our best to answer any more questions you might have. Additionally, you can check out our Flood Preparation Brochure for more information.

You're joking, right? Sure, it's tempting to get out of your car and watch the water rush through once-mellow or bone-dry creeks. It can make an adventure junkie want to grab a board, a kayak or an inner tube and take on those roaring rapids calling your name. But storm waters are very unpredictable and extremely DANGEROUS!! Stay away from creeks and bridges. A large floating object, such as a fallen tree, can jam under a bridge - forcing the current up and over the bridge and possibly sweeping you into the water. DO NOT enter the water no matter how much fun it looks!

So if we ever experience heavy rains again here in San Luis Obispo, here's what you need to remember to stay safe:

• Pay attention to flood warnings on local radio and television stations. In San Luis Obispo, the emergency broadcasts can be heard on local radio and television stations.
• Move valuable household items to the upper floors of your home.
• If you must travel during a storm or flood watch, plan an alternate route, if possible, before you leave your home or business. Tell someone where you are going and when you should reach your destination.
• When driving, be alert to your surroundings and possible hazards. How much water is flowing in or across streets, or under or over bridges?
• Do not drive through a flooded area. Two feet of water will carry away most automobiles.
• Do not drive around road barricades.
• If your car stalls, abandon it immediately and get to higher ground.
• Do not walk through flowing water. Just six inches of moving water can cause you to lose your footing.
• Stay away from power and electrical wires. Report downed power lines to Pacific Gas & Electric Company at (800) 743-5000 or the City Police Department at 781-7317.
• If you smell gas or hearing a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Shut off the gas at the outside main valve, if you can, and call the gas company from a neighbor's home.
• If you're told to evacuate, do so as quickly as possible. If you heeded earlier advice, your car's gas tank will be filled and waiting.

Where there's slope, there's ire. If the rain starts to pour, you're going to get very upset - unless you Get Ready!

Here are some ways to control erosion on unplanted slopes and banks:

• If water is flowing onto your property, you've got a problem. But there is a solution. Dig a small ditch with a hoe or shovel fairly close to the upper edge of the property. Wait until the soil is moist so that it can be easily worked. Build the ditch nearly on the horizontal to produce slow water movement. Have the ditch empty into a creek or onto pavement or to a well-vegetated area.
• If water is falling onto your property, dig the same type of small ditch at the top of each steep slope. On slopes, do not allow large amounts of water to concentrate along one route. On soils especially susceptible to erosion, use inexpensive plastic sheeting to protect it. These sheets can be overlapped like shingles so that the great majority of water does not reach the soil at all. Shrubs may be planted through the plastic by cutting a hole just large enough for planting.
• To slow the water down, use shingles or other small pieces of wood as little dams at any point when the soil is "rilling" - a fancy word for "washing away." Simply push the shingles or board solidly into the ground across the path of the rill or small gully so that it acts as a dam. Make sure that the ends of the dam are buried deep in each side. On long slopes it is advisable to use ditches, such as those previously mentioned, at intervals down the slope. Keep them close to the contour and build to empty onto pavement or into dense vegetation.

No gloom, no doom: As long as you're ready!

In houses with standard wood floors, water can leak into and fill the crawl space or basement through foundation cracks, pipe holes, vents and windows. It can seep between the house siding and foundation sills. Once the crawl space or basement is filled, the water pushes up into the building through floors and wall joints until it reaches the height of the outside waters.

So, here's what you "wood" do:

• Seal vents and windows with baffle boards as described below. Vents are required by building codes to prevent mildew and rot. Therefore, all baffle boards must be removed as soon as the flood danger passes.
• Fill cracks in the foundation or stucco wall with cement or other effective crack-filler material.
• Seal small openings around pipes with cement, crack-filler or caulking compound.
• Seal the joint between the siding and foundation with caulking compound.

"Slab" can be such a funny sounding word, but there's nothing nonsensical about how to protect homes built on slab (concrete) floors. You may think you're safe - after all, what can penetrate concrete? - but water has its ways of coming into these types of homes, too.

Special paint can help keep water from penetrating stucco or brick walls. But water usually comes up between the foundation and the outside wall, then flows over or under the sill and through and under the inside wall or plaster board.

Leaky, sneaky stuff, water is. Don't fret. Here's what you need to do:

• Patch up all cracks in the outside stucco and cement foundation with regular patching mixes available at hardware stores.
• Clear the dirt away from the stucco apron and caulk the lower exposed edge with any of the many commercial caulking components, such as white lead, putty or asphalt mixes. This seal will last for several years with minor maintenance. The dirt may be pushed back into place without affecting the seal.
• For temporary protection of stucco or wood-siding walls, fasten plastic sheeting, waterproof building paper or similar material to the side of the house with lathing or sticks and then cover the lower edge of the material with dirt. Remove the sheeting or paper after the water has receded to avoid rot and mildew in the house frame.

Arrgh, Matey, and shiver me timbers! Besides making great forts, planks and railroad ties can help change the direction of flowing water as effectively as sandbags - and in most cases even better than sandbags.

Planks and railroad ties can be prepared in advance and stored as long as needed. They are easily and quickly installed and dismantled by one person. No need to call the neighbors on this one.

When setting the stakes, be sure they are firmly driven into the ground. Nail the planks and railroad ties to the stakes.

And don't forget, the good folks in Public Works have diagrams of exactly how to use sandbags, planks and ties to divert flowing water. Give us a call at 781-7246 if you need more information.

Good question. Everyone should have emergency supplies on hand and follow safety guidelines.

Store supplies such as these at home, at work and in your car:

• First aid kit and prescription medicines and/or insulin
• Food (canned, dried or food that doesn't need to be refrigerated), plus food for those with special diets; pet food
• Non-electric can opener
• Drinking water - plan on one gallon of water per person per day for three days, minimum.
• Portable radio, flashlights and extra batteries (candles are not recommended, because you never know when you might be in an environment where there is a flammable agent nearby)
• Cash and credit cards

Also, always keep your car fueled. Know safe routes - by car and by foot - from your office or home to high, safe ground. Not all the way to Denver or anything, but someplace where you won't be wading through water.

Keep lumber, sandbags, plywood and plastic sheeting handy for emergency waterproofing.

Aside from getting him swimming lessons, there are many ways you can protect Rover and your other pets should winter weather threaten their safety. First, put identification tags on all your pets (cats, too). If a storm threatens, don't leave pets outside or tied on a leash. Bring them inside, and have a stack of newspapers handy for sanitary purposes.

If you are not going to stay in your home during a storm, arrange to leave your pets with your veterinarian or your friends, or leave them loose inside your home. Provide them with plenty of food and water. Remove the toilet tank lid, raise the seat and brace the bathroom door open so they can drink, if necessary.

Remember the rule: Children and children first. And more importantly, as soon as they're old enough, teach them how - and when - to call 9-1-1 and which radio station they should listen to for emergency information.

Also, develop an emergency communication plan, in case your family gets separated during a flood emergency. Make a plan for how to get back together. Here's an easy way to make the whole thing work: Ask an out-of-state (or just out-of-the-area) relative to be the contact person. Make sure everyone in the family knows their name, address and phone number!

That's my job, to de-baffle you about such things as baffle boards.

Baffle boards are usually ¾" plywood. To use them properly, you should have them overlap the window or vent by 3 or 4 inches on all sides. Also, strips of felt, foam rubber or other soft material, at least 2 inches wide, should be attached with waterproof glue (make sure it's waterproof, folks, or it sort of defeats the purpose) to the overlap surface of the board to form a gasket. Your neighborhood hardware store stocks many suitable waterproof glues.

The baffle boards can be held securely in place with one or more nails, screws or bolts. The boards can be nailed to wooden frames, but if screws are used, the screw holes should be protected by lead anchors or expansion sleeves. In stucco, cement or brick walls special screws or expansion bolts will be required. These can be purchased in almost any hardware store.

Baffle boards can be held and wedged into place by a board and stake as shown. Nothing fancy, but it works.

You sure can. Just by stepping over the barrier, occupants can enter or leave the house - or customers can enter or leave the store.

Doorways baffle boards are constructed similarly to the window or vent baffles described above, except that the gasket material must also be folded around the bottom edge of the board to make a water-tight seal.

A few things to remember when using baffle boards to protect doorway entrances:

• When installed, the bottom gasket must be compressed and firmly held down to make the bottom seal. The baffle can be held in place with nails, screws or bolts.
• For frequent re-use, it's better to use a type of bolt for which lead anchors can be permanently installed on the door frame, because nails or screws may split or weaken the door frame.

The baffle boards can be stored from year to year, before and after use, and are thus always ready for an emergency.

Unless the cracks and joints under and around door sills and frames are caulked or sealed, the baffle boards won't work. Use white lead or a good caulking compound for a sealer which will last several years with little or no maintenance.

If all of this is getting too technical, never fear. Call the folks at the Public Works Department, 781-RAIN.

What a sophisticated question! Straw or wood chips are effective in holding the soil in place. They have the further value of increasing the organic content of the soil. Either material should be worked into the top few inches of the soil. Use a one-inch covering of chips or three inches of straw as a guide. Apply more or less as slope and soil conditions indicate. Nitrogen fertilizer should be added with either.

If you don't know what nitrogen fertilizer is, call us at 781-RAIN. Or better yet, ask the experts at your local nursery!

Breathe a sigh of relief along with the rest of us. Then, follow these guidelines:

• If you had to turn the gas off, do not turn it back on yourself. Wait for a utility crew.
• Do not eat food that has come in contact with flood waters.
• Follow local instructions regarding the safety of drinking water.
• Do not touch live electrical equipment in wet areas. If any electrical equipment or appliances have been in contact with water, have them checked before you plug them in again.
• Do not visit a disaster area. Your presence could hinder rescue and emergency operations.
• Stay tuned to radio or television for information and instructions.

Those of you with kids are lucky - in more ways than one. You're bound to have Play-Doh - or some similar gooey stuff - to use to fill and seal cracks and joints around the door, the sill and frames. No Play-Doh? Try putty, modeling clay, or even floral clay can be used for the same purpose. All can be easily removed when flood waters subside.

I knew there was a reason why they called it sill-y putty.

To seal doorways, plastic sheeting or waterproof building paper can be held in place with waterproof masking or good ol' electrician's tape.

We all have electrician's tape in our tool box, don't we? Oh, you don't have a tool box? Then look in your junk drawer. It'll be there, guaranteed.

And although such materials as putty and modeling clay are effective short-time seals, the cracks around the door sill and frame should be filled with a good caulking compound for a longer-lasting seal.

Ooh, nice - can I take a spin?

You can use baffle boards - made in much the same manner as described for doorways and vents - to protect that brand new automobile (or even a clunker).

Here are some suggestions:

• A suitable board one inch thick may be used instead of plywood for the door seals.
• The bottom edge of the baffle board should be shaped to fit the driveway surface so that there will be a water-tight seal on the bottom.
• For hinged doors, the sides and center opening of the door may need separate baffles to seal door cracks vertical to and higher than the bottom seal.
• The openings around the hinges or hasps must be sealed with such materials as modeling clay, floral clay, and the ever-popular children's Play-Doh or other such stuff.
• You can protect garages with overhead doors from higher water by stacking additional baffle boards to the desired height.