DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – As the eye of Hurricane Matthews passed 40 miles east of Jacksonville Beach late Friday, Duval County emergency officials and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office urged residents to stay put for several more hours.
Storm surge and rough surf tore off the end of the Jacksonville Beach Pier and ocean water washed inland passed 2nd Street in some areas. As of 11:45 p.m. Friday, 215,709 JEA customers were without power. Trees were reported down across the city, some blocking streets, although all major roads were open.
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For safety, JEA crews have taken shelter to wait out the storm. Restoration will resume as soon as it is safe for crews to be in the field.
At the moment, estimated restoration times have been extended past noon Sunday at noon, JEA spokesperson Gerri Boyce said.
All bridges have remained open Friday except the Dames Point and Atlantic Boulevard, Beach Boulevard and J. Turner Butler spans over the Intracoastal Waterway, which were closed at 11 a.m. and were expected to remain closed until Saturday morning.
Gov. Rick Scott will be in the Jacksonville area Saturday morning to assess the damage following Hurricane Matthew with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.
Jacksonville Beach Fire Department officials said crews would leave the beach and seek shelter at the University of North Florida about 8 a.m. Friday and will return to the beach as soon as they're able.
VIEW: Images of damage from Hurricane Matthew
The city declared a state of emergency and ordered an evacuation for Duval County's beaches and anyone who lives in evacuation zones A, B and C. JTA evacuation buses ran into Thursday evening with pickups at Fletcher High School, Mayport Middle and Jacksonville Beach Elementary, and fares were suspended.
The city said 456,000 were asked to evacuate, and Sheriff Mike Williams said the evacuation has gone well.
There are hundreds of extra officers on the streets for storm-related duties, but as the conditions deteriorate, they will cease responding until conditions improve.
"Don’t take your guard down," Williams said. "The forecast may change significantly. We encourage people to stay in their homes and hunker down and ride it out through the morning."
Thursday afternoon, a fifth emergency shelter opened in Duval County (see details below).
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said a curfew will be enforced for all three beach communities from 10 p.m. Thursday until 6 a.m. Saturday. The JEA said water service to the barrier islands were suspended at 8 p.m. Thursday and will likely not resume until Saturday morning.
Alcohol sales in the three beach cities will be suspended from 6 p.m. Thursday until 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
Beach residents will only need photo ID with the resident's beach address to be allowed to return to the evacuated zones once the storm passes.
Mayor Lenny Curry said the re-entry strategy will begin when sustained winds drop to 50 mph, and police will be at the western end of the bridges leading to the beaches to monitor traffic.
"So the message now is -- as we’re riding this thing out -- a life-threatening storm surge is still expected," Curry said. "There’s no change there. People who are now in their homes need to take this seriously."
MORE: Duval County evacuation map, info | Evacuation, re-entry instructions for beaches |
Find your evacuation zone by address search
VIDEO: Jennifer Waugh walks through evacuation zone maps for Arlington, Westside, What is Zone C?
JAX cancels all flights for Friday, several for Saturday
All arrivals and departures for Friday, Oct. 7 were canceled at JAX Airport.
Jacksonville International Airport said Air Canada, Allegiant, Silver and Southwest airlines flights have been canceled Saturday.
Passengers should contact their airline -- NOT the airport -- for the most updated status of their flight.
Economy Lots 1 and 2 are closed until further notice. Other parking facilities will remain open until they reach capacity. Call the parking office at 904-741-2277 for more information.
Shelters
Late Thursday, city officials said about 2,000 people were in the five shelters set up in Duval County -- about 50 percent capacity. At 6:30 p.m., Mandarin Middle School -- 5100 Hood Road -- was added as a sixth general population, pet-friendly shelter)
- Legends Center at 5130 Soutel Drive opened at 7 p.m. Wednesday. (pet- and special-needs friendly) AT CAPACITY
- Atlantic Coast High School -- 9735 R. G. Skinner Parkway (special needs, general population, pet friendly) AT CAPACITY
- Twin Lakes Elementary School -- 8000 Point Meadows Dr. (special needs, general population, pet friendly) AT CAPACITY
- Landmark Middle School -- 101 Kernan Blvd. N. -- 32225 (general population, pet friendly)
- Chimney Lakes Elementary School -- 9353 Staples Mill Drive -- 32244 (general population, pet friendly) AVAILABLE SPACE
- Mandarin Middle School -- 5100 Hood Road -- 32257 (special needs, general population, pet friendly) AVAILABLE SPACE
- Oceanway Elementary School -- 12555 Gillespie Ave. -- 32218 (general population only) AVAILABLE SPACE
Those staying in shelters must bring their own food, water and bedding.
JTA transportation is available as long as weather permits. Residents can call 630-CITY to request transportation to a shelter.
MORE: What to bring to a shelter
The Salvation Army’s Towers Center of Hope at 900 W. Adams Street in downtown Jacksonville will open its shelter to anyone lacking shelter from Hurricane Matthew. The shelter will open as weather dictates and will remain open as long as needed. The shelter provides critical protection and relief to homeless men, women, and families who would otherwise be out in the elements.
The Towers Center of Hope will continue to serve free meals to the public on its regular schedule, at 6:30 p.m. every evening, as it does every night of the year. After dinner guests seeking shelter will be given a safe place to sleep for the night, and coffee and breakfast in the morning.
The Center of Hope information hotline is 904-356-8641.
City Rescue Mission will expand capacity of its regular homeless shelter to offer disaster shelter for those without homes. The shelter is located at 234 West State St., Jacksonville, FL. Check-in will begin at 2:30 p.m. Thursday and extend through the night. No one will be turned away.
As the severe weather persists into the daytime, shelter hours will be prolonged throughout the day. It will remain open until the storm has passed.
Individuals going to special needs shelters must pre-register with the Duval County Emergency Management. If needed, transportation will be provided for those who pre-register. For more information visit COJ.net/departments/fire-and-rescue/emergency-preparedness/be-jaxready
Closures, schedule changes
- Duval County schools will be closed Thursday and Friday.
- The St. Johns River Ferry will be closed Friday.
- JTA service is canceled Friday.
- Trash pickup for Friday has been moved to Saturday.
- USPS mail will not be delivered on Friday and Saturday.
- The Jacksonville Zoo will be closed Thursday and Friday.
- The Jacksonville VA Outpatient Clinics at Jefferson, SouthPoint and University will be closed Thursday and Friday.
Patients are currently being contacted by staff to reschedule their appointments. If veterans have a medical emergency, they should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For after hours and weekends, call VISN 8 Telecare toll free at 1-877-741-3400 for additional information. Updated information will be provided on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/VANFSG or by calling the information hotline at 386-755-3016, ext. 2915 or toll free at 1-800-308-8387, ext. 2915. - The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Jacksonville office located at 4121 Southpoint Blvd. is closing early Wednesday and all day Thursday. Those with appointments will receive notification of a new appointment date. For more information, visit www.uscis.gov.
- The Duval County Clerk's Office will be closed Thursday and Friday. This includes both the Duval County Courthouse and the Clerk’s beaches branch at 1543 Atlantic Blvd. The Clerk’s Office plans to reopen for business at 8 a.m. on Monday.
- Duval County government offices and buildings will be closed Thursday and Friday, as will the State Attorney's Office.
- Florida Department of Health in Duval County will close clinic service locations Thursday and Friday.
- The Jacksonville Marine Corp 1/2 Marathon on Saturday is canceled and will be rescheduled.
- Riverside Arts Market is canceled for Saturday.
- The Mandarin High School Parade scheduled for Friday has been canceled, along with First Wednesday Art Walk.