JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said Friday that Hurricane Helene impacted the city in different ways including widespread outages, isolated flooding, and downed trees and powerlines.
RELATED | Rescuers race to free people trapped by Hurricane Helene after storm kills at least 21 in 4 states
Recommended Videos
“All things considered, we were fortunate compared to the Big Bend, but we did have a tough night,” Deegan said during a news conference.
According to the mayor, the flooding happened in areas they were already expecting such as San Marco, Riverside and downtown and it was already clearing up as of Friday morning.
“If you see flood waters, just don’t drive through them, please,” Deegan said.
There were no storm-related fatalities, according to the mayor.
Press play below to watch the latest update from the City of Jacksonville on Hurricane Helene
Deegan said the city’s biggest issue was downed powerlines and trees which caused widespread outages. As of 12:39 p.m., JEA reported that 69,528 customers were still experiencing outages.
According to Deegan, Atlantic Beach experienced a “significant” outage that started around 10 p.m. Thursday. She said there was damage to some of the infrastructure that needs to be fixed before power is restored.
It is unclear when power will be restored for all JEA customers, Deegan said.
Meanwhile, emergency road access teams (ERAT) have addressed 45 calls so far, and there were 99 calls pending to clear roadways blocked by trees and/or powerlines.
In addition, twelve roads were completely obstructed as of Friday at noon.
The City of Jacksonville offices will remain closed on Friday, and the Duval County Emergency Operations Center will continue to be fully activated.
The five city shelters will also remain open with the possibility of extending availability if residents’ needs continue. According to the mayor, a total of 361 citizens used the shelters during the storm, and as of Friday at noon, 254 were still there.
MORE | Gov. DeSantis: 2 Florida deaths attributed to Hurricane Helene amid ‘historic storm surge’
All Friday night events will go on as scheduled, the mayor said.
People who are medically dependent on electricity special medical needs can call 630-CITY (2489) to set up shelter transportation. JTA will continue to offer free rides to shelters.
The city will provide another update on Friday at 6:05 p.m.