After the record amount of rain fall in northern Illinois last week, we decided to go help sandbag the flooding Illinois River in Pike County. Bill and I helped sandbag in the ’93 floods. The kids sandbagged when the rivers flooded in 2008. (look how cute they were back then) So we knew what to expect. We believe we should volunteer to help the farms and small towns that receive the brunt of the flood damage.

Since it was raining again, the bags were filled in a machine shed. We took our bucket seats and stack of bags and started filling them with sand.

Each bag needs to be tied and knotted to stay closed during transport.

After a few hours of tying the bags, it can make your fingers raw. William brought some white medical tape to wrap around our fingers. He gave some to the guys from the work camp who have been working here a couple of days.

After the bags pile up, they are loaded onto a tractor which then loads up a truck that will take them to a levee.

This shot is from the bridge over Illinois River at Meredosia. The sandbags are being used at this grain terminal where barges are loaded.

Finally, here is a video of the guys loading up the sand bags.

Next time you hear a request for sandbag volunteers, I hope you find the time to help out some fellow farmers.