High winds and rain have slowed production at the city’s three manned sandbag sites.
“The rain made the sand very wet, and that makes it tough to fill sandbags. The high winds make it unsafe for operators to work on and around the spider sandbag machines,” says Bismarck Police Lt. Steve Kilde.
There is still a need to fill four million sandbags by Thursday. Kilde says the city is still an estimated 2.5 million sandbags away from that goal.
“Those sandbags aren’t going to fill themselves. With the machines not able to run, it just increases our need for volunteers to fill sandbags by hand,” says Kilde.
Volunteers should bring a shovel, gloves, and protective eye gear and report to the city’s three manned sandbag sites:
• Sandbag Charlie (521 South 22nd Street) – open 24 hours a day.
• Sandbag Central North, Missouri Valley Fairgrounds (3805 E. Bismarck Expressway) - open 24 hours a day.
• Sandbag Central South, Northern Plains Commerce Center (1901 Northern Plains Drive) - open 24 hours a day.
CAT buses will provide transportation for volunteers to the sandbag sites. Volunteers should meet in the southeast corner of the Kirkwood Mall parking lot (JC Penney wing).
Volunteers must register before they begin filling sandbags. Parental consent is required for those under age 18. Consent forms are available at both Sandbag Central and Sandbag Central South. You can also download the consent form at www.bismarck.org.
Self-fill Sites are located at the following sites:
• Horizon Middle School (500 Ash Coulee Drive)
• Santa Fe Avenue, Cottonwood Complex west of South 12th Street
• 48th Avenue and Sibley Drive (daylight hours only)
• Ponderosa Park (daylight hours only)
• Hogue Road (daylight hours only)