VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Locals are digging in for Dorian.
As Hurricane Dorian hugs the east coastline, many in Hampton Roads aren’t taking any chances. Instead, they’re taking advantage of free sand offered by the City of Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach residents are digging in for Dorian as they take advantage of the free sand offered by the City of Virginia Beach ahead of the hurricane
“We are hoping to put some in front of our crawl space so no water gets under house by the back door,” said Virginia Beach resident Shelley Hopkins.
Under the sweltering sun, the Hopkins family sweated it out and shoveled it in: 40 bags Wednesday morning to be exact.
“We experienced a lot of flooding in our house during Hurricane Matthew, waters were coming across Salem Road into our front yard [and] got into our garage,” Hopkins explained.
Norfolk resident Chris Butler knows exactly what Hopkins is talking about. He’s learned his lesson from past Hampton Roads hurricanes.
“I didn’t have sandbags once. I think it was during Hurricane Irene, and [I had] a couple inches of water in the garage… that will never happen again,” said Butler.
With spades and shovels in hand, it was busy, busy, busy at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. Every 30 minutes or so, trucks dumped new loads of sand in.
Public Works told News 3 they have 300 cubic yards at the ready, about 400 tons of sand.
“This is nice because it’s helping those that are ill-prepared get prepared,” said Mary Ann Simmons.
Public Works says if you plan to come to the SportsPlex off Landstown Road, bring your own shovel and bags.
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