Sandbags Offered In Mount Vernon District For Hurricane Florence

MOUNT VERNON, VA—Fairfax County will provide sandbags for Mount Vernon District residents ahead of Hurricane Florence arriving on the East Coast, Supervisor Dan Storck announced. The hurricane is expected to make landfall early Friday and have impacts hundreds of miles from the center from the Mid-Atlantic to the Carolinas.

Sandbags will be available at the Mount Vernon RECenter at the upper level parking area from Wednesday, Sept. 12 until the storm arrives. Hours are Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Thursday from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Friday: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m or as needed and as conditions allow.

Residents can claim 10 to 12 bags each. County staff will be on hand to help residents fill sandbags.

The county also recommends checking hardware stores for sandbags or filling plastic grocery store bags will sand or soil.

Other sandbag distribution locations include the McLean Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road, McLean; Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston; and Pohick Regional Library, 6450 Sydenstricker Road, Burke.

MORE HURRICANE COVERAGE:

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• Hurricane Florence: Emergency Kit, Insurance Info To Know In VA
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The hurricane is expected to make landfall Friday. The latest forecast shows the storm tracking farther south away from the DC region and toward the Carolinas and Georgia. Even so, Fairfax County officials warn that rain and flooding is still expected, as the hurricane could impact areas hundreds of miles from the center. Recent rainfall has saturated the grounds and poses a risk of rapidly rising water and power outages.

To stay updated on road closures during flooded, bookmark Fairfax County Police's blog. You can see live road conditions on the Virginia Department of Transportation's 511 map.

Here are other emergency numbers to know:

Life threatening situations: Call 911

Fairfax County Police non-emergency number: 703-691-2131

Report downed trees on roads: VDOT maintains Fairfax County roads. Call VDOT at 1-800-367-7623, TTY 711 or visit my.vdot.virginia.gov. (Removing downed trees is the property owner's responsibility.)

Power outages and downed power lines: Call Dominion Energy at 1-866-366-4357 or visit dom.com/outage-center.

(Stay on top of all the latest Hurricane Florence news with our free, real-time news alerts, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

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