Hurricane Helene aftermath: Power outages, closings, but no deaths

Government

JEA says it has restored power to 181,000 customers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and is working to reconnect about 39,000 as of 5:30 p.m. Sept. 27.

Category 4 Helene made landfall at Deckle Beach in Taylor County about 140 miles west of Jacksonville with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour Sept. 26.

Mayor Donna Deegan said the storm created wind gusts up to 80 mph in Northeast Florida, downing numerous power lines and poles as it churned its way north into Georgia.

Deegan, in a noon update, said Helene caused no deaths in the region. A fatal traffic accident that was initially believed to be storm-related was later determined to have been the result of another cause, she said.

Deegan said it could take up to three days for JEA to fully restore power. For that, she attributed “complicating factors” in some areas, including a wind-felled tree taking down power lines and significantly damaging grid infrastructure in Atlantic Beach.

The city fielded 161 reports of downed trees and has begun removing them, starting with those blocking roadways. Deegan said that as of 10 a.m., 12 roadways were completely obstructed.

The storm produced less rainfall than expected but still caused isolated flooding in San Marco, Riverside and Downtown. Damage was reported at Memorial Park in Riverside, Deegan said.

Deegan closed City Hall on Sept. 27 for a second straight day to all but essential personnel.

The city’s five shelters took in 361 people, with 254 remaining as of mid-day Sept. 27. Deegan said the shelters would remain open as long as necessary.

She said the city was exploring alternatives in case the shelters, four of which are public schools, needed to be open Sept. 30. Duval County Public Schools plan to reopen classrooms that day after closing schools Sept. 26 and Sept. 27.

Deegan said the city sent emergency responders to assist the hurricane response in the Big Bend area, which was heavily damaged when the Category 4 storm made landfall. She said local crews had to be helicoptered into the community.

“Obviously a really, really scary and terrible situation down there,” she said.

In other Helene-related news:

• The city’s Emergency Road Access Team responded to 45 calls and had 99 calls pending, many to clear roadways blocked by trees and power lines.

• Events set for the evening of Sept. 27 in Downtown will continue as scheduled, Deegan said, including a Hootie & the Blowfish concert at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and a Jacksonville Symphony performance.

• The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office fielded 175 weather-related calls. JSO urged residents not to drive through standing water.

• The city received 155 reports of traffic signal outages, with 50 still out.

Helene closing, outages and transportation updates

Power

At 5:30 p.m. Sept. 27, JEA reported 16,758 active electric outages impacting 38,983 customers.

Closings

City of Jacksonville government offices and facilities: Closed Sept. 27.

Courts: Courthouses in Clay, Duval and Nassau Counties are closed Sept. 27.

Supervisor of Elections: The Duval Counter Supervisor of Elections Office will be closed Sept. 27. This includes both the Downtown office and the Election Center at 1 Imeson Park Blvd.

Property Appraiser: The Duval County Property Appraiser’s Office will be closed Sept. 27.

Jacksonville Tax Collector’s Office: Closed Sept. 27

Transportation

Jacksonville International Airport: Open, although many flights have been canceled.

JaxPort: JaxPort remains under U.S. Coast Guard port condition ZULU (vessel movements prohibited). All terminal gates remain open and landside cargo operations continue.

Carnival Elation: The ship remains a safe distance from the storm. Carnival anticipates the ship arriving in Jacksonville Sept. 27 or Sept. 28.

St. Johns River Ferry: Will resume service on the Mayport side at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 27.

Downtown Skyway: Closed Sept. 27.