San Francisco brings free sandbags to flood-prone neighborhoods ahead of El Niño winter

San Francisco residents turned out Saturday for the city's first neighborhood sandbag giveaway, part of an effort to protect homes and businesses ahead of what could be a record-setting El Niño winter. The city distributed about 800 sandbags during the event at Marina Green by noon, with officials expecting to hand out at least 1,000 by the end of the day. Residents and business owners can receive up to 10 free sandbags each. Rachel Gordon, communications director for San Francisco Public Works, said residents began lining up before the giveaway opened at 8 a.m. The city is bringing sandbags directly to flood-prone neighborhoods rather than requiring residents to travel to a central distribution site. Officials are also asking residents to be mindful of how many bags they take, prioritizing properties with a history of flooding. "If your property hasn't flooded in past years, there's a really good chance it's not going to flood this year," Gordon said. "So think about it, do you really need sandbags? If you feel you need them, Public Works will have you covered." The giveaway is part of Mayor Daniel Lurie's local emergency declaration last month, which allows the city to fast-track funding for storm supplies and direct additional resources toward neighborhood preparations. For George Young, the sandbags could help prevent a familiar problem — water flooding his garage. "We worry that this El Nino is going to be so overwhelming with the water and the rain," Young said. "We do have flooding in the garage. We are so grateful that the city is providing the sandbags for us to try and protect that." Young plans to position the bags to redirect rainwater away from his property and into the street. "We can't prevent the rain, but we can redirect the water," he said. Many residents who came Saturday said they were particularly concerned about water entering garages, basements and storage areas. John Kennaugh said he was hoping to keep runoff from his backyard patio from flooding his neighbor's downhill garage. Phil Aclan described a similar challenge, with water flowing between properties on a sloped street. "We are on a slope. We get some run off from our neighbor. And our neighbor below us gets some run off from us," Aclan said. "So we're trying to redirect the water." For Gabriel Cid Paz, the goal was to keep water away from his garage and storage units — and protect his young daughter's toys. Cid Paz and his daughter arrived with a wagon to haul away seven sandbags, each weighing about 40 pounds. "Everybody is prepping up for the super El Niño," he said. He acknowledged the bags were heavier than expected but figured the wagon would make the trip home manageable. "It'll be my workout for the day," he said. Young said the effort is worthwhile if it helps residents avoid costly damage when the storms arrive. "Get as prepared as you can, because I have a feeling it's going to be a very rough winter," he said. The city has three more neighborhood sandbag giveaways scheduled on Saturdays, including one next Saturday at Lake Merced. Residents who cannot attend the neighborhood events can also pick up free sandbags at the Public Works Operations Yard, Monday through Saturday. In: El Nino San Francisco Featured Local Savings