Iowa State Prepares for Flood (Video)

How to properly fill a sandbag isn't common sense.

And it's something Iowa State University facility planning and management employees have practiced in an unofficial capacity every year.

But the flood of 2010 affected structures such as the North Campus Child Care Center that had never been impacted in previous floods and staff realized later that there were things that could have been done better.

Tuesday the Story County Emergency Management and Environmental Health and Safety invited volunteers from a number of university departments to learn the proper sandbagging technique and created a small levee.

“No. #1 you don't fill the bag all the way,” said Bob Currie director of Facilities Planning & Management. “A bag half full is half as heavy,” Currie said.

And Currie said, a half full bag gives the sand room to shift so that it can be stomped into place to fill gaps and crevices.

A line of employees spent two hours filling sand bags and shaping them into squares so they could be stacked like bricks.

About 55 university employees helped create a small levee on the floor of a garage in the General Services Building complex.

The number of participants wouldn't be enough to cover a flood event similar to 2010, but the idea is that the trained volunteers would lead others during an emergency.

“It multiplies our capacity to take care of our own community if we have people who understand how to do this,” said Keith Morgan, Story County Emergency Management Coordinator.

“It's good Iowa State is thinking ahead. Being prepared really makes a difference in a disaster,” Morgan said.

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