City of Atlantic Beach Tropical Storm/Hurricane Ian Update
1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29
With Ian mercifully behind us and a beautiful weekend ahead, we are grateful to report that the City is not aware of any storm-related injuries or any flooding of homes in our community. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our City of Atlantic Beach police, public works, public utilities and information technology professionals; Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue personnel; JEA, and other first-responders.
Here are our key messages thus far today:
Stay out of the ocean. Although the beach is open, conditions remain dangerous for swimmers and boaters, and there is floating debris in the water from the storms. Even standing in knee-deep water can be dangerous. Ocean Rescue guards risk their lives every time they have to go into the water to help, someone so don’t risk someone else’s life by entering the water during dangerous conditions. Keep out!
Please drive very cautiously. Some standing water and debris remain on the streets, and we expect ground saturation to continue to result in falling trees.
Weather update. A coastal flood warning and surf/rip cup current advisories are in effect. Today’s forecast is cloudy, with a high near 72. Breezy, with a northwest wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. The weekend forecast calls for sunny skies and improved wind conditions.
JEA outages. A small number of Atlantic Beach residents have had power outages today. Electrical outages and service issues can be reported to JEA at (904) 665-6000 or online at JEA.com. Sign up for outage alerts at www.jea.com/alerts. Here is the outage map: www.jea.com/outage_center/outage_map/
Cleaning up after the storm. Please keep these very important guidelines in mind:
- Be particularly mindful of safety when clearing trees and yard debris.
- Contractors that you hire to do work, such as tree-cutting and fence work, are responsible for debris removal.
- Don’t bag your yard/storm debris. Please bag your leaves.
- Cut limbs and trees so that they are no longer than 5 feet in length, 6 inches or less in diameter, and weigh less than 40 pounds.
- Place your debris near the street, but not on the street. Don’t place debris over water/gas meters, cable/phone boxes, under low-hanging tree limbs, under utility wires, or near mailboxes.
- Don’t put full sandbags with your trash; they will not be picked up.
- Please be mindful that it may take the City more than a week to remove the excessive amount of debris from Ian.
- Removing or trimming trees? We love trees in Atlantic Beach. If you are considering removing a tree, please visit www.coab.us/trees to determine whether a permit and mitigation are needed. Email trees@coab.us with questions. Make sure a qualified line-clearance arborist treats big trees, especially if they are near electrical wires. Major pruning to alter the tree’s structure should not be done at this time. Trees use energy stored in the wood to recover from damage and produce new growth, so the least amount of live wood possible should be removed. Info: https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/treesandhurricanes.
- Know your contractor. Disasters bring out the best in people and the worst in people. Please be wary of who you are doing business with. We strongly recommend that you do business with a licensed contractor.
Garbage collection. City of Atlantic Beach residential garbage, recycling and yard debris collection is canceled for the week; the normal schedule Monday. Thursday’s and today’s schedule collection will not be made up. Questions? Email info@coab.us or call (904) 247-5804 if we don’t answer.
Sandbags. Please don’t put them with your trash (they will not be picked up) and if your space permits, please consider keeping them. The City of Atlantic Beach doesn’t always distribute sandbags in advance of emergencies.
Closures/cancellations for the remainder of the week:
- City of Atlantic Beach and City of Jacksonville offices
- Duval County public schools and after-school activities.
- City of Atlantic Beach after-school activities, community centers and recreation programming.
- Dutton Island and Tide Views Preserve
Want to help Ian victims? Be cautious of imposter GoFundMe-style crowdfunding websites and charity scams. Among the ways to help is to donate via www.FloridaDisasterFund.org and volunteer via www.volunteerflorida.org).
Disaster assistance. Florida residents impacted by Hurricane Ian may be eligible for assistance. Visit www.fema.gov/disaster/hurricane-ian and www.sba.gov/disaster for information and resources available for Florida residents affected by the storm.
Filing insurance claims. The Florida Department of Financial Service has resources available to help via www.myfloridacfo.com/Division/Consumers/HurricaneIan, consumer.services@myfloridacfo.com, and (877) MY-FL-CFO.
Stay informed. The City of Atlantic Beach posts emergency-management updates at www.coab.us/ian and www.facebook.com/CityOfAtlanticbeach) before posting/publishing on other platforms, including:
Important and fun stuff in Atlantic Beach to put on your calendar.
- Thursday, Oct. 6: Community Action Plan Public Input Meetings, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., City Hall.
- Saturday, Oct. 8: Fall Festival, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Donner Park, 2072 George St.
- Saturday, Oct. 22: Town Hall meeting, 10 a.m., Jordan Center, 1671 Francis Ave.
- Saturday, Oct. 22-23: Family Fun Day and Campout, begins at 3 p.m., Russell Park, 800 Seminole Road.
- Nov. 8: General and Municipal Election