City Offers Free Sandbags in Preperation for Stormy Weekend Ahead

Foster City officials are offering free sandbags to residents in preperation for 

According to the Foster City Public Works Department, the sandbags can be picked up at Civic Drive, behind the large white apparatus tent on the west side.

"The city does not necessarily encourage or discourage the use of sandbags, but makes them available for members of the community who have concerns or have noticed problems with flooding on their property," said Foster City Management Analyst 'Andra Lorenz. 

In addition to sandbags, officials have taken other steps to prevent flooding in Foster City.

"The city has prepared for the storms by assessing the condition of the storm drain system and by maintaining the lagoon at "winter" level to create capacity for any runoff that may occur," Lorenz said.

However, Foster City has experienced little flooding in recent years according to officials, thanks to the .

"Because Foster City was designed to effectively drain storm water into the lagoon system, Foster City tends to have minimal flooding," Lorenz said.  "Any flooding that occurs is generally localized to areas where drains may become obstructed or development of private property has created areas in which water can pool."

The National Weather Service has forecast rain, wind and high tides for the Bay Area beginning Friday morning and continuing through the weekend.