Pasco County Opens Sandbag Locations

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — Pasco County residents with plans to batten down the hatches in advance of anticipated severe weather later this week are getting some help. The county and several of its cities have announced the opening of sandbag locations.

Pasco County residents will be able to pick up sandbags starting at noon on Monday at the West Pasco Government Center, 7356 State St. in New Port Richey. The location will remain open until 8 p.m. Monday. The county plans to keep it open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. until further notice.

The self-serve location is open to Pasco County residents only. Residents are encouraged to bring their own shovels.

The cities of New Port Richey and Dade City have also opened sandbag locations. They are as follows:

• 6420 Pine Hill Road, New Port Richey
• 38042 Pasco Ave., Dade City

Both locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, the county wrote in an email to media.

“Pasco County has provided 33,000 sandbags to residents this storm season, so demand for bags is not as high as it was earlier in the year,” the email explained for the opening of only one county-sponsored location. “However, if we see the need, we are prepared to open all other sandbag locations in the County.”

Forecasters at the National Weather Service say the entire Tampa Bay area is likely in for a soggy week as a tropical depression makes its way into the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to reach tropical storm status before moving near the Tampa Bay area sometime on Thursday.

To find out more about the storm, check out this related story: Hurricane Gaston Weakens; Depressions Aim for Florida, N.C.

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