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A toddler died in Duval County when a tree fell on a home during Hurricane Helene, new NWS report says

Duval County reported at least 244,000 customers without power during the height of the storm Thursday night

Residents of one mobile home community in Columbia County are grateful to be alive after Helene knocked down several trees, severely damaging many of their homes. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 10-page Hurricane Helene county impacts report was released late Wednesday night by the National Weather Service (NWS) in Jacksonville and the impact, based on data, is staggering.

READ | Full NWS County Report

It was the first time it was reported that a child died due to the storm that dealt a glancing blow to the area.

MORE | Twin babies who died alongside their mother in Georgia are youngest-known Hurricane Helene victims | The search for the missing hits snags at every corner as Helene’s death toll tops 200 | SnapJAX users share photos, videos of damage from Hurricane Helene

According to the report, a tree fell on a mobile home along Ozo Lane S on the Westside on Thursday night and the fallen debris resulted in the fatality of a toddler.

The weather service listed 29 counties in their coverage and while the other counties listed had extensive damage reports, as well, we pulled specific data: injuries and/or fatalities, peak wind gusts and reported damage from four counties in our market. The report mostly covers Sept. 26 and 27.

Here are a few of the details we learned:

  • Duval County reported at least 244,000 customers without power during the height of the storm Thursday night
  • Wind gusts at Jacksonville International Airport topped out at 72 mph
  • At the Beaches, the max gust was clocked at 68 mph
  • Alachua County had reports of trees down and power outages
  • One person was hurt when a tree crushed a home in the Willow Bend neighborhood
  • The fastest wind gust recorded at the Gainesville airport was 44 mph, but over at the University of Florida, there was a gust that came in at 66 mph

In Southeast Georgia, a 78 mph gust was recorded at a site on Jekyll Island. The area was on alert, as tornado warnings were issued as the storm moved north, but no touchdowns were ever confirmed.

MORE | New report finds 167 properties damaged by Hurricane Helene in Glynn County; 900 still without power | ‘I don’t know if I’m ready’: Meteorologist Mark Collins returns to his Gulf Coast hometown after Helene’s devastation

And, in Glynn County, 36,000 power outages were reported.

A little to the west, in Charlton County, 30% of the county was without power at one time, with cell service described as “nearly non-existent in many areas.”

Additionally, a weather site at the Okefenokee Swamp captured a wind gust of 64 mph.

In Columbia County, there were widespread trees and powerlines down throughout the county, as well as damage to several roofs of homes and downed trees on homes.

As of Friday afternoon Sept. 27, approximately 80-90% of customers were without power. There was also damage to storefronts around the downtown area of Lake City.


About the Author
Michelle McCormick headshot

Michelle McCormick joined News4Jax in December 2023 and in February 2024, she happily accepted the opportunity to officially join the News4Jax Weather Authority team as the weekend morning meteorologist. She is a member of both the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association.

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