Prepping your home ahead of Tuesday’s storm

With storm rolling into the Valle on Tuesday, it often means flooding and water on the roadways.

Riverside County tells News Channel 3 they’re actively working to prepare for flooding on the Valley floor.

"Areas where we have roadway flooding. They're definitely monitoring the areas where we have recent burn scars, so that we can kind of assess everything that's coming in and what our current state is,” said Shane Reichardt, Senior Public Information Officer for the County's Emergency Management Department.

As for residents, there’s ways you can prep your home ahead of potential flooding.

“We encourage people to go to their nearest fire station pick up some sandbags. Most fire stations have sandbags available, you will need to get sand," Reichardt said.

Cal Fire fire stations provide bags for you to fill up. You can find the nearest location to you here.

The County recommends placing them in front of your doors, garage and other areas that are typically prone to flooding.

“The sand that you put in the sandbag can be everything from sand. Worst case scenario, you can even use dirt,"Reichardt added, "It doesn't necessarily have to be clean, like playground type sand, you can get sand and bags of sand from the local hardware stores. But, you can just use whatever's available to you.”

The County recommends saving and reusing those sandbags for the next rainstorm since they can last about a season or two. If you are out and about on wet roads, be sure to drive slow and make sure your tires are maintained.

Watch for flooding, especially in the wash areas. If roads are closed, be sure to follow the signs.

“We want people to remember Turn Around Don't Drown. It's just not worth it. It puts them them at risk. It also puts our first responders at risk if they have to come out and rescue somebody that's made that attempt to cross a flooded roadway.”