JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As Floridians clean up the mess left behind by Hurricane Helene, one laundromat in Jacksonville is preparing to help those affected by the storm.
Hurricane Helene impacted Jacksonville in different ways including widespread outages, isolated flooding, and downed trees and powerlines, according to Mayor Donna Deegan.
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Japanica Hunter was doing some laundry Saturday morning, just a few days after her house was damaged during Helene’s fierce wind and rain.
“There was an actual object from the neighbor’s home flying into our home. It was just a window. Nothing significant, and we will be able to manage, but I know there are a lot of other individuals and families out there who are suffering for something much worse,” Hunter said.
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Inside the laundromat Flo Laundry, in the Cedar Hills neighborhood, people like Hunter are going to be able to wash and dry their clothes for free on Tuesday.
Jacob Hitt is the owner of the laundromat that is off Blanding Boulevard.
He said he is offering this service to help lift a burden for those dealing with the aftermath of Helene.
“This is just to give back to those who were maybe impacted by the storm. It gives them some time to get there to things together, to get them here at the laundromat and get them washed,” Hitt said. “It is also to give back to those in the community who may need a little bit of help.”
Beyond free service on Tuesday, Hitt said other services he and the staff are offering throughout the entire week, starting on Monday are:
- Free drying all week
- Half off on washers every day other than Tuesday
Hitt said Flo Laundry is also going to use a van to do pick-ups and drop-offs at a discounted rate while doing it for free on Tuesday for shelters, churches and other charities that may need it.
“It is going to be a great benefit because of the fact that I know that they are here for us. They are here to support us. Because they are offering these free specials or at no cost. It is not free because it costs them. At no cost to us. It is still providing a service that we are able to benefit on our back end,” Hunter said.
Hitt said he knows it’s not much, but he hopes doing something as simple as laundry will be one less thing people will have to worry about.
“We hope we provide a positive experience for those doing laundry. We hope that we provide that will factor when they come here. They feel safe. We have staff here to help,” Hitt said.
Flo Laundry is located at 3520 Blanding Blvd. Unit 1 in Jacksonville, and it’s open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.