With Monday’s storm acting as a reminder to be prepared for upcoming rain events, the city of Goleta is providing sand and burlap bags for residents to protect their homes from storm damage.

It is recommended that community members prepare their property for future storms by filling their sand bags a few days prior to a heavy rain. Three self-service sandbag stations are at the following locations:

Fire Station 11, 6901 Frey Way and Storke Road, just south of Santa Felicia, across from the Main Post Office)
Fire Station 14, 320 Los Carneros Road, next to the Stow House Museum lot)
Goleta Valley Community Center, 5679 Hollister Ave.

The city’s sandbag stations are stocked and bags are ready to be picked up. Following are some things to know about sandbag pickup:

Sand and bags are available on a first come, first served basis.
Pick up is open during daylight hours, seven days/week.
20 bag limit (additional bags can be purchased at home improvement stores).
Bags are for residents.
Bring your own shovel to fill the bags.
It is easiest to fill the bags with two people, one to hold the bag and the other to shovel the sand.

For disposal of old Polypropylene sandbags, residents may displace old sand in planters or on lawns, and dispose of bags in their trash containers. They may also bring old filled bags to Public Works Corporate Yard, 6735 Hollister Ave., behind the Deckers building, for disposal.

To stay informed, register for emergency alerts from Santa Barbara County at readysbc.org, and sign up for emergency information from the city at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaEmergency. Get more tips on winter storm preparedness here.