Storm prep for California: sandbags, sand, concrete blocks and rip rap
Four materials cover most storm prep: filled sandbags to stop water at a door, sand to fill your own bags, concrete bunker blocks to stop or turn water, and rip rap to keep soil from washing out. NOAA's August 2026 outlook put the odds of a very strong El Niño above 90 percent, and the wettest part of a strong El Niño winter in California is usually December through March. Sand, bags and blocks are easy to get today and hard to find the week a flood watch posts.
Sandbags: ready-filled or fill your own
Our filled sandbags are $9.99 a bag and come by the full pallet of 30 bags, so the minimum order is one pallet. Each bag weighs 30 to 50 pounds. A pallet builds about 10 feet of a wall one bag high, and a 16 foot garage door needs roughly 4 pallets. Pick up at our Rosamond or Visalia yard, or have them delivered. To fill your own, use coarse, clean sand: washed concrete sand packs firmly, drains, and does not turn to mud the way native soil does. A sandbag wall takes about 3 filled bags per running foot at one course and 6 per foot at two courses, and each bag you fill yourself holds roughly 35 to 40 pounds. Sand is sold in bulk loads and can also be bought by the supersack.
Concrete bunker blocks for ocean and flash flood control
Concrete bunker blocks are used where bags are not enough: oceanfront property lines, washes and driveways that take flash flood flow, and the toe of a slope where mud and debris come down. The Concrete Bunker Block comes in 3,000 lb ($185 each) and 5,000 lb ($188 each) sizes, interlocks without mortar, and can be restacked or removed after the season. Blocks are delivered by truck and set with a forklift, loader or crane; the customer arranges placement. No barrier is a guarantee against flooding, so size and place it for your site.
Rip rap and slope backing rock
Rip rap is angular quarried rock that holds soil in place where water or wave action would carry it away. We sell only very dense, Caltrans or ADOT approved hard rock from granite, basalt and similar hard-rock quarries. Soft rock sold in an emergency crumbles, breaks down in a season and fails inspection, so the rock you buy for a slope, channel or shoreline should be hard, angular and heavy for its size. Start with Grey Granite Rip Rap in 12 inch and 15 to 18 inch sizes, or choose by weight class, sold by the ton: 1/4 and 1/2 ton, 3/4 and 1 ton, or 1 and 2 ton rock. Larger classes are for steeper slopes, faster water and wave exposure. Confirm the class your city, county or engineer requires before you order.
Order before the storm
Call (800) 215-7372 or request a quote for filled sandbags, sand, blocks or rip rap delivered to your ZIP code. Call to confirm which yard has your material in stock. To size a rip rap area, use the coverage calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many sandbags do I need?
About 3 filled bags per running foot for a wall one bag high and 6 per foot for two courses. A 16 foot garage door needs roughly 100 bags. Our filled sandbags come 30 to a pallet at $9.99 a bag, so that door takes about 4 pallets; to fill your own, each bag holds 35 to 40 pounds of sand, so 100 bags is about 2 tons of sand.
What sand is best for sandbags?
Coarse, clean sand such as washed concrete sand. It packs firmly and drains. Fine sand slumps and native soil turns to mud when wet.
What do I fill sandbags with?
Sand is the usual fill for flood barriers because it is heavy, drains, and holds its shape. Washed concrete sand is available from us for bag fill. Do not fill a bag past its rated weight.
Can I buy filled sandbags from Earth Stone Rock?
Yes. Filled sandbags are $9.99 a bag and sell by the full pallet of 30 bags, so the minimum order is 30 bags. Each bag weighs 30 to 50 pounds. Pick up at our Rosamond or Visalia yard, or ask about delivery when you order.
Are concrete blocks good for flood barriers?
They are widely used as flood and runoff barriers because their weight keeps them from floating or sliding, and interlocking blocks stack without mortar. They are not a guarantee against flooding, and a barrier should be sized and placed for your site. Bunker blocks come in 3,000 lb ($185) and 5,000 lb ($188) sizes.
What are bunker blocks used for?
Material bays, push walls, retaining walls, ballast, traffic control, and flood and ocean surge barriers. They are also called bin blocks, ecology blocks, deadman blocks and concrete lego blocks.
How do I move and place concrete bunker blocks?
With a forklift, loader or crane rated for the block weight. Blocks arrive on a flatbed truck, and the customer arranges unloading and placement. Set the first course on compacted, level ground.
What size rip rap do I need for erosion control?
Smaller rip rap, such as our 12 inch and 15 to 18 inch Grey Granite Rip Rap, suits swales, culvert outlets and drainage edges. For slopes, channels and shoreline, rip rap is sold by weight class: 1/4 and 1/2 ton, 3/4 and 1 ton, and 1 and 2 ton. Heavier classes handle faster water and bigger waves. Check the size your engineer, city or county specifies.
What is rip rap and slope backing rock?
Angular, dense quarried rock placed on slopes, channel banks and shorelines to stop soil from washing out, and as backing behind walls and bunker blocks. Ours is hard granite, basalt or similar rock, not soft stone.
Why does the type of rip rap matter? Can I buy any rock in an emergency?
You can, but soft or weathered rock breaks down in wet conditions and often fails inspection. We sell only very dense, Caltrans or ADOT approved hard rock from granite, basalt and similar hard-rock quarries.
