MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - An important item this hurricane season might now be easier to handle.
At a distribution held Friday, Miami Beach leaders began offering a modern alternative to sandbags.
This year, the city will once again be giving away bags, but these are prefilled with silica gel beads that expand when they are soaked in water.
A resident who identified herself as Louise told 7News she’s grateful for this method of property protection.
“I cannot be moving around those big sandbags, yeah. I think this is a wonderful thing that the city is offering,” she said.
Humberto Crespo with Miami Beach Facilities and Fleet Management showed 7News how the bags work.
“You can use a bucket and dip it in the bucket, and it might take about three to five minutes to blow up, OK, as a sandbag would be. We’re looking at about 20 to 25 pounds,” he said.
Officials said that although these bags can only be used once, there are plenty of them for residents to pick up as they plan ahead for this storm season.
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