Cities of Amarillo, Canyon distribute more than 18,000 sandbags to mitigate flooding

Nell Williams
·1 min read

After weeks of rain, playas and lakes filled to the brim and roads closed for days, the city of Amarillo began distributing free sandbags for the public on Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. at the Amarillo Civic Center north parking lot, with a maximum of 25 bags per vehicle.

They ran out less than two hours later.

Supplies were expected to be replenished by around 11 a.m., in hopes of helping out more residents and businesses experiencing issues from prolonged flooding.

City of Amarillo employees hand out bags of sand to flood victims Tuesday. They started early in the morning and ran out of supplies quickly, but said more was coming from the Army Corps of Engineers in Canyon.
City of Amarillo employees hand out bags of sand to flood victims Tuesday. They started early in the morning and ran out of supplies quickly, but said more was coming from the Army Corps of Engineers in Canyon.
City of Amarillo employees hand out bags of sand to flood victims Tuesday. They started early in the morning and ran out of supplies quickly, but said more was coming from the Army Corps of Engineers in Canyon.
City of Amarillo employees hand out bags of sand to flood victims Tuesday. They started early in the morning and ran out of supplies quickly, but said more was coming from the Army Corps of Engineers in Canyon.
City of Amarillo employees hand out bags of sand to flood victims Tuesday. They started early in the morning and ran out of supplies quickly, but said more was coming from the Army Corps of Engineers in Canyon.
City of Amarillo employees hand out bags of sand to flood victims Tuesday. They started early in the morning and ran out of supplies quickly, but said more was coming from the Army Corps of Engineers in Canyon.

The rallying point for providing bags is at the south side of Canyon ISD Stadium outside of Canyon. The state of Texas provided Army Corps of Engineers and National Reserve units from around the state to provide as many bags as needed. City of Amarillo and Canyon workers are assisting in the process.

So far, around 18,000 bags have been filled for Amarillo and Canyon.

Corps of Engineers and National Guard fill bags of sand at the Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon for those needing a barrier from the flooding in Canyon and Amarillo.
Corps of Engineers and National Guard fill bags of sand at the Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon for those needing a barrier from the flooding in Canyon and Amarillo.
Corps of Engineers and National Guard fill bags of sand at the Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon for those needing a barrier from the flooding in Canyon and Amarillo.
Corps of Engineers and National Guard fill bags of sand at the Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon for those needing a barrier from the flooding in Canyon and Amarillo.

The initial request to the state came from the City of Canyon, and the City of Amarillo joined in. A handful of Army Corps of Engineers came in to supervise the handling of the equipment and oversee the operation. The Texas National Guard, Canyon Water Department & Public Works along with City of Amarillo members teamed up to load bags to deliver to Amarillo and the Public Library in Canyon for distribution.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) donated the sand and said that they would until it's no longer needed.

“The City of Amarillo has experienced an unprecedented amount of rain for about the past two weeks,” said Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley in a news release. “In order to help our community, the city is taking this step to help residents and business owners protect their homes and property from floodwaters.”

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Thousands of sandbags distributed to public in Amarillo, Canyon