Sandbag and Other Storm Related Updates

We want to thank the citizens of Deschutes County for your willingness to take proactive measures to protect our community. We had a tremendous response to the availability of sand and bags today.

Within the City of Bend alone, we were able to distribute 13,000 bags and 193 tons (386,400 pounds) of sand. The City of Bend sandbag sites as well as the Deschutes County site on SE 27th Street are now out of bags.

Thank you to our community for taking this proactive approach. We saw firsthand how our communities came together to help one another during this storm. We saw community members helping each other fill, carry and load these sandbags. Volunteers and staff from our governmental agencies pitched in to make this a successful effort.

Community members that did not obtain a sandbag can still take a proactive measure to protect their homes and neighborhoods. Most households won’t need sandbags to protect your home from potential flooding. See the attached graphic on “Thinking beyond the sandbag” for additional ideas.

To protect your residence you can also:

• Clear your roof of snow
• Pull snow away from your home to minimize contact with your siding and foundation vents
• Clear your storm drain and catch basins
• Clear the area around the fire hydrants

A storm drain and fire hydrant map is available online to assist in locating hydrants and drains.

(Instructions to use this are on the home page that opens automatically. You can enter your address in the search to find what’s in your neighborhood.)

For residents in Redmond, a map of storm drains in Redmond, Oregon can be found here.

The weather report has been ever-changing and now it’s looking better in terms of potential flooding. Recent updates have reduced the amount expected rainfall and temperatures are not expected to rise significantly higher. The amount of runoff is not expected to be as severe as originally reported.

Remember, 911 is for emergencies only. If you need non-emergency police or fire assistance, the number is 541-693-6911. We encourage our community to call 211 information if you have questions or need information related to this storm.

Thank you for your vigilance during the past two weeks. Please use this event as an opportunity to determine how you can better prepare your property for future weather events. Your Deschutes County, City of Bend, City of Sister, City of Redmond, City of La Pine and Deschutes 911 governments are preparing to respond to future events and minimize the impacts.