UPDATE #7 (2 P.M. FRIDAY, SEPT. 27)
Power Outage Notice; Continue to Exercise Caution
We are grateful to report that the City is not aware of any storm-related injuries. 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.
Power outage notice. JEA is aware of the power outage in a large part of Atlantic Beach and is working diligently to restore electricity as quickly as possible; indeed, power has been restored in parts of the community within the last 30 minutes. We will provide updates here and at www.coab.us/helene as they become available. Here is the outage map: www.jea.com/outage_center/outage_map/
A few details: Three feeder circuits in Atlantic Beach sustained significant damage from the high wind. Multiple spans of overheard wire are down on each circuit, and dozens of trees have fallen, causing additional damage to the distribution system. JEA has a tree crew, three line crews, four contract crews working to restore service in Atlantic Beach. JEA assures the City of Atlantic Beach that the crews will keep working until electricity is fully restored in our community.
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.
Stay away from downed trees. They are extremely dangerous, especially when they're in contact with power lines. Always keep a safe distance and report any downed trees and power lines. To report a downed tree, email info@coab.us or call (904) 247-5804. Remember: Assume all downed power lines are live.
Howell Park, Dutton Island Preserve, and Tide Views Preserve are closed. Please keep out.
Fall Fest. Saturday's Fall Festival at Donner Park is postponed to 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5.
Donner Park Improvements Public Information Meeting. The public Input meeting at Donner Park at 1 p.m. Saturday to solicit input on proposed upgrades to the baseball field and the soccer/football field area is still expected to be held. The public is invited to attend.
City Hall is open. Adele Grage Cultural Center, where our recreation office is located, is closed.
Stay off the beach and out of the water. Storms always produce unsafe ocean environments with debris in the water, higher tides, rough surf, and an increase in rip currents. If you spot someone in trouble, call 911. Lifeguards are not on duty. Stay out of the Intracoastal Waterway, too.
Please drive very cautiously. Some debris remain on the streets, and we expect ground saturation to continue to result in falling trees.
Garbage collection. City of Atlantic Beach residential garbage, recycling and yard debris will be collected today, as scheduled. We do not expect our contractor to complete recycling collection today. If your recycling service is missed today, please leave your bin out for collection tomorrow. Missed service? Email info@coab.us or call (904) 247-5834.
Stay informed. The City of Atlantic Beach posts emergency-management updates at www.coab.us/Helene and www.facebook.com/CityOfAtlanticbeach) before posting/publishing on other platforms, including:
Cleaning up after the storm. Please keep these very important guidelines in mind:
- 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.
- 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 vet and do business with a licensed contractor.
- 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.
- 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 Helene.
- 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.
Sandbags. Please don’t put them with your trash (they will not be picked up) and if your space permits, please consider keeping them.
Want to help Helene 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 Helene may be eligible for assistance. Visit www.fema.gov/disaster 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, consumer.services@myfloridacfo.com, and (877) MY-FL-CFO.
Malfunctioning or out-of-service traffic lights. Drivers should treat malfunctioning or out-of-service traffic lights as 4-way stops and report them to 630-CITY.
State of emergency. The City of Atlantic Beach, City of Jacksonville and State of Florida have declared a state of emergency in Duval County. A State of Emergency Declaration allows local governments to more easily allocate resources to best protect lives and property. Also, Duval County residents can now get a 30-day emergency refill on prescriptions.