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.
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“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 Friday morning’s 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.
On Friday evening, Deegan said that JEA had restored power for 217,000 customers. As of 6:16 p.m., JEA reported that 38,961 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.
“Our JEA teams continue to work around the clock to restore power, and they are really making great progress,” Deegan said.
It is unclear when power will be restored for all JEA customers, Deegan said.
“Our crews will be working around the clock to restore power to our customers. Rest assured, they won’t stop until power is back for every customer,” said JEA CEO and Managing Director Vickie Cavey. “I’m proud of the work our team members and contractors are doing, making significant progress throughout the day in challenging situations.”
Deegan said JTA will provide four cooling buses at the following locations until 8 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28.
- Ray Greene Park
- Blue Cypress Park
- River Haver Park
- Fort Family Park
Meanwhile, emergency road access teams (ERAT) have addressed 125 calls so far, and there were 90 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.
Four out of five city shelters will be closing Friday at 8 p.m., as all of the people staying there have already left, according to Deegan. The shelters closing include the ones located at schools: Chaffee Trail Elementary, LaVilla School of the Arts, Landmark Middle, and Atlantic Coast High School.
The Legends Center will remain open Friday night, and the city will reassess as needed on a daily basis, according to Deegan.
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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.
Deegan said Friday evening she expects to end the State of Emergency Saturday at 8 a.m.
