JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Recovery efforts were in full effect Friday across Northeast Florida, especially in Mandarin neighborhoods.
Residents spent the day cleaning up after Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend with effects in Jacksonville causing damage and power outages.
Up and down Mandarin Road were heaping piles of storm debris collected from people’s yards.
“This is the second one. We had one happen last year, but it wasn’t as bad as this one, blocking the whole driveway,” Braeden Wilson said.
Residents also had to go without electricity for more than 12 hours.
“It’s Mandarin. Everybody has a generator. If you want to live, it’s just part of it,” Nancy Ulrich said.
JEA crews were working around the clock to restore electricity to homeowners like Steve Seymour and his wife who were still without power when News4JAX spoke with them close to 7 p.m.
“A couple of storms ago, we finally figured it out and got a generator, so it makes it better,” Ulrich said.
But a generator doesn’t fix everything when the lights are out.
“You are limited. It’s not the ideal situation,” Steve Seymour said.