City of Atlantic Beach Idalia Update
5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30
www.coab.us/idalia
Good afternoon, AB.
With Idalia mercifully wayfaring into the sunset and with nice weather directly ahead, we are grateful to report that we are not aware of any storm-related injuries or any significant damage in our community. Still, we encourage our residents and visitors to remain vigilant in keeping your guards up by staying out of the ocean; by being aware that more trees are likely to fall and that downed powerlines are dangerous; and by taking safeguards during storm-debris cleanup.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our City of Atlantic Beach police, public works, public utilities, ocean rescue and information technology professionals; Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue personnel; JEA, and other first-responders.
We have a few final messages to share:
Please stay out of the ocean. Conditions remain dangerous for swimmers and boaters; 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 until lifeguards say it’s safe!
Please be extremely cautious of downed power lines. Be particularly mindful when clearing trees and yard debris.
Trees are still a concern. Please stay out of Johansen Park and other parks/places vulnerable to trees and branches falling during and after storms.
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/
Garbage collection. City of Atlantic Beach residential garbage, recycling and yard debris collection resumes with the normal schedule Thursday. The only changes in this week’s schedule that Wednesday’s customers will be serviced Saturday. Questions? Email info@coab.us or call (904) 247-5804 and leave a message.
City offices and programs. The City of Atlantic Beach will resume its normal operations Thursday, except that Recreation and Boys and Girls Club programming are canceled until Friday.
Parks and preserves. A couple of Howell Park trails are temporarily blocked due to fallen trees, and Dutton Island and Tide Views preserves likely will be closed until Friday.
Cleaning up after a storm. Please keep these very important guidelines (see www.coab.us/news) 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.
- Please be mindful that it may take the City extra time to remove the excessive amount of debris from Idalia.
- 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 vet and do business with a licensed contractor.
Want to help Idalia 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. Have you noticed all of the palm fronds and other debris scattered about?! Much of this debris ends up in ditches, creeks and tributaries, clogging our drainage system and otherwise contributing to local flooding. As much as you safely can, will you please assist us in securing this debris.
What should you do if they approach a malfunctioning or out-of-service traffic light? Drivers should treat malfunctioning or out-of-service traffic lights as 4-way stops.
Nuisance flooding in the fall. In the fall, the orbits and alignment of the earth, moon and sun combine to produce some of the greatest tidal ranges of the year with exceptionally high water levels. Read more at www.coab.us/news.
Looking ahead … Important and fun stuff in Atlantic Beach to put on your calendar.
- Sunday, Sept. 3 (every Sunday), Farmer’s Market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Russell Park.
- Sunday, Sept.3, Songwriters Concert, 6-8 p.m., Gulliford Hall at Adele Grage Cultural Center
- Friday, Sept. 8, Movie in the Park (“Lightyear”), Sunset, Donner Park.
- Monday, Sept. 11, City Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m., City Hall
- Wednesday, Sept. 13, Special-Called City Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m.., City Hall
- Sunday, Sept. 17, Acoustic Night, 6-8 p.m., Bull Park
- Thursday, Sept. 21, Monthly Artist Reception, 5-8 p.m., Adele Grage Cultural Center
- Thursday, Sept. 21, Beaches Art Walk, 5-9 p.m., Beaches Town Center
- Monday, Sept. 25, City Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m., City Hall
- Saturday, Sept. 30, Fall Festival, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Donner Park
Whether or not there’s an emergency, there are lots of ways to stay informed and engaged. Check out www.coab.us/InTheKnow.