Orlando advises using plastic sheeting for Hurricane Dorian, Orange County recommends sandbags

Remember how we told you all to stock up on sandbags because Orange County’s offering a bunch of free sandbag filling stations?

Now we’re learning that might not be the best hurricane prep advice. At least, that’s what city of Orlando officials are saying.

The city’s official Twitter account just advised against sandbags, saying that plastic sheeting is the better method. The argument is that most water gets into homes by wind-driven rain, so sandbags won’t get the job done.

It’s outlined in the city’s emergency management Hurricane Guide.

“Plastic sheeting is more effective than sandbags to keep water out of the home because most water intrusion is caused by wind-driven rain, not rising water,” the guide states.

It advises people to place 4 to 6 millimeter plastic sheets over windows and doors using duct tape.

Their should be room left at the end to secure the bottom with heavy items like cinder blocks, bags of mulch or potting soil, according to the guide.

But hey, if you’re still team sandbags, there’s an updated list of Orange County sites with self-service handbags and pre-made bags.

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This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 3, 2019.