St. Johns County Successfully Distributes Thousands of Free Sandbags to Residents Ahead of Hurricane Season

2 July 2025
Category: Hurricane SJC News
Tags: 2025

St. Johns County recently concluded a highly successful three-day sandbag distribution event, providing thousands of free, pre-filled sandbags to residents across six locations from June 24 to June 26, 2025. The large-scale effort was designed to help the community prepare ahead of the peak of hurricane season and received a strong response from residents throughout the County. The Office of Public Affairs produced a video to highlight this important community event.

Residents were limited to 12 sandbags per vehicle to ensure broad distribution. County staff were on-site at each location to assist and ensure the process ran smoothly. The Office of Public Affairs also produced a behind-the-scenes video capturing the coordination and dedication involved in making the event a success.

Remaining sandbags will be stored at County facilities in the event of another distribution event before a future hurricane.

This initiative was made possible through the County’s investment in a sandbag-making machine, which has significantly increased the Public Works Road and Bridge Division’s capacity to serve the community efficiently during storm season. This marks the second consecutive year St. Johns County has proactively provided free sandbags to residents ahead of severe weather, building on the successful distribution of 12,000 sandbags in July 2024.

St. Johns County encourages all residents to continue preparing for hurricane season by taking the following steps:

Know your evacuation zone – Visit www.sjcemergencymanagement.com and use the “My Evacuation Zone” tool by entering your St. Johns County address.
Review the 2025 Hurricane Preparedness Guide – Available online or as a free printed copy at all St. Johns County Public Library System branches.
Sign up for emergency alerts – Register at www.AlertStJohns.com to receive time-sensitive notifications by phone, email, or text.
Receive Nixle alerts – Text StJohnsEOC to 888777 to opt in for SMS updates.
Follow Emergency Management on social media – Get the latest local information by following St. Johns County Emergency Management on Facebook, and mark the page as a “Favorite” to ensure you see timely updates.
Watch the Inside SJC: EOC After Dark video – Learn more about how the County works around the clock to serve the community during a hurricane.