JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and other city officials held a news conference Wednesday evening as the state prepares for the impact of Hurricane Milton.
Deegan shared what she called “better news” when it comes to projected rainfall totals.
“[We are] expecting rainfall of 1 to 4 inches, with locally higher amounts, maybe a little bit more at the Beaches. But that’s really what we’re looking at, which is much better, if you remember, than our projections a few days ago. So we’re grateful for that, because that was an area of big concern for us when it came to flooding," Deegan said.
In the evening update, Deegan reassured residents that there was “plenty of gas.”
Gate gas stations in Jacksonville were closed at 5 p.m. to ensure employees were safe ahead of the storm.
The stores will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so. Daily’s gas stations have no plans to close, Deegan said.
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Deegan said Duval County is still expected to see widespread power outages and some flooding starting late Wednesday night and into Thursday and possibly beyond.
“We are also anticipating 2 to 4 feet of storm surge at the Beaches along the Intracoastal near Butler Boulevard and in flood-prone areas along the St. Johns River, Ortega, Riverside, San Marco, South Hampton, St. Nicholas, as well as Ribault, Trout and Moncrief waterways, all the regular suspects are going to have some issues with with surge. But again, there may be some isolated areas that get a little above that, but we’re feeling good about that 2 to 4 feet probably being as bad as it’s going to get in most places."
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JEA said it will have crews working Wednesday night until it is no longer safe and will resume work on Thursday once conditions allow.
Water and wastewater systems may be affected due to power outages and rainfall, JEA said, and it will be monitoring constantly and deploying portable assets if necessary (pumps, generators).
By the numbers
- JEA has lined up more than 300 contractors, including lineworkers and tree trimmers
- 2-4 foot storm surge expected along St. Johns River
- 1-4 inches of rain expected, which is lower than previous estimates
- 6 shelters open; 614 people in county shelters as of Wednesday afternoon
- 34 JSO officers on the streets for storm duty, another 60 on duty overnight
- Beaches and Intracoastal areas expecting 30 to 50 mph winds with occasional gusts of 50 to 60 mph. High-profile buildings, 40 to 60 mph with gusts of 60 to 70 mph and inland areas 25 to 40 mph, with occasional gusts of 40 to 50 mph
