Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

U. Florida area provides free sandbags for flood protection
By Lyndsey Lewis
Independent Florida Alligator (U. Florida)
06/13/2006

(U-WIRE) GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With a shovel in one hand and a white bag in the other, Pete Haring stopped hauling sand just long enough to survey his handiwork.

"I just don't want water in the garage," he said, resuming the task of hoisting sand into an array of sacks.

To help residents protect themselves against flooding during Tuesday's storm, Alachua County officials provided free sand and bags at 13 locations across the county Monday. Local residents, including Haring and his family, converged at the sites armed with shovels and ready to take their share of the spoils.

"We sewed T-shirts up and filled them for (Hurricane) Frances," noted Haring, who filled 20 bags at a site just northwest of Gainesville, Fla., on Monday.

Area residents are not the only ones preparing for grisly weather conditions.

Dan Jesse, a spokesman for Gainesville Regional Utilities, said the company is working to ensure the city will run smoothly during the storm and its aftermath.

"The warehouses are stocked up, and the trucks are stocked up, and the crews are standing by getting ready for this," he said.

Though GRU participates in a year-round tree-trimming effort, Jesse said that would probably not be enough to prevent damage or power outages.

"Gainesville has the densest tree canopy of any city its size or larger in the United States," he said. "They have increased tree-trimming efforts recently, but there's only so much you can do with that."

To avoid damage or injury, Jesse advised local residents to stay away from fallen power lines and turn off all their circuit breakers.

In the meantime, residents of Gainesville and the surrounding areas are stocking up and hoping for the best.

Tony LaGreca, a University of Florida professor shoveling sand in a Gators poncho and safety goggles, said he aimed to fill 30 sandbags for himself Monday evening.

"I am grateful to my county for having the sand," LaGreca said. "It's really great that they're doing this."

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