By the time the distribution center opened the line had stretched down Escobar Dr. and onto North Zaragoza Road providing 10 free sandbags per car with an El Paso Water Bill or Texas drivers license while supplies last.
El Paso Water had already announced the West Side location at 7380 Paseo Del Norte was closed by the time the Mission Hills location opened followed hours later by the Northeast Distribution Center due to running out of sandbags.
Some residents in line said they were not aware of the delayed opening time, complaining about a lack of communication but also said they were willing to wait in order to get what they needed.
People like Perla Ruiz, who said she didn’t want to make the same mistake as last week when she had no sandbags as the water almost flooded her house saying she had been in line since 9 a.m.
“We have nothing in our house, the water was almost getting into our backyard door. So this time we’re preventing,” Ruiz said.
Another El Paso resident, Jake Kenneke, wasn’t mad when he heard about the centers running out of sandbags and was instead more understanding of the demand El Paso Water employees are facing calling the pre-storm rush of people and trying to keep all the distribution centers stocked a ‘logistical nightmare.”
“I’m sure this is just a logistical nightmare. I’m not sure where they got the sand from or whatever or how long this plan took but I appreciate them doing it,” Kenneke said. “I understand there’s so many people in this city, so it’s going to take long no matter what I’m happy to see people taking advantage of it though.”
In a statement El Paso Water Officials said the following:
El Paso Water has distributed more than 150,000 sandbags this monsoon season. To address the
recent surge in demand, EPWater hired contractors who produced 5,000 additional sandbags from
Sept. 24-26. EPWater continues working with vendors to secure more sandbags during the rain event. Availability at distribution sites cannot be guaranteed and will depend on delivery schedules and continuing demand. A 40-member Stormwater crew, supported by 68 other utility employees and nine contractors worked extended hours to remove standing water throughout the city using 14 water extraction trucks. Since last week’s storms, crews have completed 103 requests for water extraction and removed more than 500,000 gallons of water.
UPDATE (2:00 PM) — According to El Paso Water, both the Fred Wilson and Artcraft locations are closed.
The remaining sandbag distribution site, Blackie Chesher Park, remains open.
UPDATE (10:49 AM) — El Paso Water says that the ArtCraft Booster Station, located at 7830 Paseo Del Norte, is closed and the remaining two stations will be open.
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso Water provided an update regarding sandbag distribution, saying that the Blackie Chesher Park, located at 9292 Escobar Drive, will open at noon Monday.
EP Water officials say that all sites will remain open until 8 p.m. and that you should have a valid ID ready.
Officials say that, due to increased demand for sandbags, they cannot accommodate repeat customers at this time. Officials also want to remind the public to be prepared to load the sandbags into their vehicles.
EP Water says this is available only to residents, not commercial entities.
Photo Courtesy: El Paso Water
For more information, visit https://www.epwater.org/our-water/stormwater/sandbags.