Want to help sandbag in Yukon this weekend? Here's how

Yukoners looking to help with flood mitigation efforts are invited to grab a shovel this weekend and pitch in at nine sandbag filling stations.

"Any help that people are willing to give... makes a big difference for the people who are trying to protect their homes," said Kat Hallett, a spokesperson for the Government of Yukon.

Whether people are able to stay for one hour or eight, their help is welcome, she said. Stations are open 24 hours a day.

All that is needed is a shovel, water and snacks.

"We're not able to provide shovels, but onsite there is sand, there are bags, and there are zipties," said Hallett during aninterview Friday with host Elyn Jones on CBC Radio's Yukon Morning.

Though the areas requiring the most urgent help shift "day by day, even hour by hour," Hallett said help at any of the sites is welcome.

The work is ideally done with two people, so one can hold open the bag while the other shovels.

You can check out where each sandbag-filling site is located by looking at this map.

Hallett also saidpeople should take appropriate precautions, given Yukon's COVID-19 wave.

"We're asking Yukoners to follow COVID-19 safety measures, so following physical distancing, and wearing a mask if you aren't able to maintain physical distance," she said.

The sandbagging effort has already been intense, with 400,000 bags already in use. Hallett saidthe goal is to fill an another 600,000.