JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hours after Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 storm, Jacksonville area residents were seeing the damage from the outer bands that swept over much of Northeast Florida.
Streets were flooded and power was out for many traffic lights. As a reminder, drivers should treat intersection where the signals are out as a four-way stop.
MORE: Widespread power outages expected during Helene; JEA urges residents to be safe, patient
Memorial Park along the riverfront in Jacksonville, which has suffered the brunt of countless storms was hit hard again, as barriers that were protecting a broken area of the balustrades were left floating in floodwaters late Thursday.
The road was blocked for flooding at Riverside Avenue and Copeland near the Publix Shopping Center early Friday morning.
Northeast Florida started to feel the effects of Helene on Thursday, as neighborhoods in Duval County experienced power outages, downed trees and early signs of flooding as conditions started to deteriorate.
Flooding in downtown Jacksonville turned roads and parking lots near the Maxwell House factory and the VyStar Memorial Area into a small lake.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department shared a safety warning to urge drivers to stay off the roads with an image of a downed tree blocking a street.
Stay off the roads if you can…winds are gusty, trees are coming down already. pic.twitter.com/uAgb5zEdyw
— THEJFRD (@THEJFRD) September 26, 2024
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office also blocked Mandarin Road from traffic because a strong wind gust caused a tree to fall and take down a live wire.
A homeowner on Jacksonville’s Northside showed us where their porch had been peeled away by Helene’s high winds.
“Me and my wife were in the living room and about 12:45 this morning the wind just wouldn’t stop, it was real, real hard and noisy, and I went to the back door to see what was going on and as I got the back door, the whole back porch lifted up and went over the house,” Michael Smith said.
Flights affected
Nearly 600 flights had been canceled nationwide as of 3:30 a.m. with another 800 delayed.
Jacksonville International Airport was open Friday morning, but more than two dozen flights had been canceled, including all departures as of 4 a.m.