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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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What to Do With the Sandbags?

Less adrenaline, more toil ahead for Midwesterners

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(Newser) – Sandbags were saviors for many in the Midwest flooding—but as the waters recede, the hefty lumps remain, often weighed down by all the toxins in the water, the Washington Post reports. Bags can weigh 60-80 pounds even when dry, so heaving one after another to the curb for pickup is a serious task, especially without the hordes of adrenaline-driven volunteers rushing to protect communities.

“I've got about 2,000,” says an Iowa man who had the help of two dozen volunteers in piling them on. But carrying the bags to the curb “is the real hero part,” he notes.

Illinois Air National Guard member Heather Richard, of Peoria,Ill., helps fill sandbags along the Mississippi River in Quincy, Ill., Wednesday, June 18, 2008.
Illinois Air National Guard member Heather Richard, of Peoria,Ill., helps fill sandbags along the Mississippi River in Quincy, Ill., Wednesday, June 18, 2008.   (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
Rex Hipes sits in a lawn chair as he monitors pumps behind a sandbag wall protecting the Clarksville Christian Church from the swollen Mississippi River Monday, June 23, 2008, in Clarksville, Mo.
Rex Hipes sits in a lawn chair as he monitors pumps behind a sandbag wall protecting the Clarksville Christian Church from the swollen Mississippi River Monday, June 23, 2008, in Clarksville, Mo.   (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
President Bush stands at a sandbagged levee during a tour of Midwest flood damage, Thursday, June 19, 2008, above Iowa City, Iowa.
President Bush stands at a sandbagged levee during a tour of Midwest flood damage, Thursday, June 19, 2008, above Iowa City, Iowa.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Bob Seibel stands atop a pile of sandbags as as a massive effort to save the town of Winfield, Mo., continues Thursday, June 19, 2008.
Bob Seibel stands atop a pile of sandbags as as a massive effort to save the town of Winfield, Mo., continues Thursday, June 19, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
County jail volunteers shore up a levee with sandbags on Saturday, June 21, 2008 north of Foley, Mo.
County jail volunteers shore up a levee with sandbags on Saturday, June 21, 2008 north of Foley, Mo.   (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
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