We are just days from the start of hurricane season, and local authorities are preparing in case a storm comes our way.
JEA and the Duval County Emergency Coordinator are taking steps to prevent and respond to potential power outages.
They say there are moves homeowners can make now to help keep the lights on.
“I would look for any trees close to your home, especially close to your weather head or wherever power enters your home,” said Ryan Kornegay, an apprentice line maintainer with JEA.
He said the public can call JEA to come trim those trees.
During a storm, thousands are at risk of losing power, but Kornegay said that JEA will be working around the clock to restore all of the power.
RELATED: Download & Save The Weather Authority’s Hurricane Survival Guide
“We do have an order that we do things with restorations: 1-2-3,” he explained. “We are going to start with hospitals, shelters, major businesses, corporations, and things like that that keep the community running.”
He asked the community to remember that JEA workers are human and to be patient. Give them time to get everything back online.
“If you haven’t seen us yet, it’s not because we don’t care about you,” Kornegay said. “We’re just following orders.”
Communication is key
But what if those orders can’t be communicated to JEA or first responders because of a loss of service? Or the community is completely cut off?
That’s where Duval County Emergency Coordinator Brian Schultes and his team of volunteers come in.
“When the community loses communication to the outside world, primarily cell service or your internet service goes down, we are capable of providing messages for the general public to send out to family members or loved ones to say, ‘I’m OK, I made it through the hurricane,’” Schultes said.
He explained that statistically, during the first three days after a major Category 4 or Category 5 hurricane, a community might hot have outside communication.
During Hurricane Helene, more than 100,000 people in the state of Florida lost cell service, and in Georgia, more than 500,000 faced the same issue.
Schultes said his team fills in the gaps.
“We are all hobbyists who volunteer our time and our equipment to provide backup communications for our communities,” he said. “We provide an alternative communication system for JFRD, primarily when they establish the EOC, evacuation shelters, maybe a point of distribution around the city, we provide an alternative communication system at those locations.”
They use a wide range of amateur radio service frequencies to do voice, texting and send emails. If someone is in need, they should look for ARES, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
