JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Once any potential dangers have passed after Hurricane Dorian has made its way along Florida's East Coast, JEA crews will roll out to assess power outages, but only if sustained wind speeds are under 40 mph.
Aaron Zahn, the CEO of JEA, spoke during a news conference with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry on Tuesday evening, assuring the public that crews are prepared.
"Starting tomorrow (Wednesday) morning we will have approximately 500 power workers and line workers in the field at any given time, over 400 water and wastewater workers in the field -- all dedicated professionals," Zahn said.
Zahn recommended JEA customers go to the utility's website and look at the power outage maps to determine whether crews are aware of the outage and to get an idea of restoration times.
JEA OUTAGE MAP: Current power outages reported in Jacksonville
N.E. FLORIDA/S.E. GEORGIA: County-by-county status
"When the storm is upon us and the winds are over 40 mph our workers in the field will be riding it out with you," Zahn said.
When weather reports indicate conditions are favorable, JEA says it will immediately enter the restoration phase of emergency operations. First, it will begin assessing its facilities, making repairs to power plants, transmission lines and substations if neccessary.
After JEA has made those critical repairs, it will enter its second phase of restoration and begin accepting outage reports from individual customers.
JEA crews are out right now between storm bands fixing outages for 200 customers in Atlantic Beach, as well as other areas. This is JEA at its best. pic.twitter.com/xjtx3RSGXw
— JEA (@NewsfromJEA) September 4, 2019
Crews will begin making repairs by electric circuits, and priority will be given to repairs that will restore power to the greatest number of customers.
READ IT: How JEA restores power after a storm
When repairs are made to all major circuits, JEA will begin targeting isolated outages. The utility will continue until all customers have their power restored.
"There will be power outages," Zahn said. "We want you to know that we are on top of it and we are ready to respond."
To report an outage, you can text "out" to MY JEA. You can also call 904-665-6000.