![Santa Rosa County Emergency Management officials encourage residents in low-lying or flood-prone areas to prepare now for possible flooding. The county's public works department has made sand available on a first-come, first-serve basis. [Special to the Press Gazette]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-4fde5992-2891-063e-e053-0100007f06ed-a1f007f8.jpeg)
MILTON — It's hurricane season, summer afternoon rain patterns are in full force, and the ground is saturated, which means flooding is a possibility.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of showers every day this week and the National Hurricane Center is watching an area of disturbed weather in the western Caribbean, which could bring even more rainfall to the Gulf Coast.
Santa Rosa County Emergency Management officials encourage residents in low-lying or flood-prone areas to prepare now for possible flooding. The county's public works department has made sand available on a first-come, first-serve basis at Pace Fire-Rescue on Pace Patriot Blvd. in Pace and at the corner of Pine Forest and Carroll Roads in Milton. Bring your own shovel and bags.
Bags typically can be purchased for less than 50 cents each at local hardware stores. Visit the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, www.flash.org, for more information on how to make and use sandbags.
While sandbags can help mitigate damage to an extent, buying flood insurance is the best protection against flood loss. Floods are the nation's most common and costly natural disaster and cause millions of dollars in damage every year. Flood insurance typically requires a 30-day waiting period.
Visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/emergency or pick up the county’s disaster guide at any Santa Rosa office and grocery store for more information on how you can prepare for flooding and other weather-related disasters.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Storm preparation includes sand bags, flood insurance