As Hurricane Matthew approaches the Jacksonville area, the City of Jacksonville Emergency Operations Center (EOC) continues to collaborate with local and state agencies as they track and monitor for any potential impacts.
(Note updated Storm FAQs attached.)
Updates:
· The Hurricane Warning remains in effect for Jacksonville.
· Duval County remains in a State of Emergency.
· According to the National Weather Service, conditions will deteriorate Thursday evening with impact of storm being felt through Friday evening into Saturday morning.
· Storm is anticipated to be a category 4 hurricane with sustained winds on Jacksonville coast between 90 – 110 mph.
· Inland waterways including St. Johns River and creeks are expected to have sustained winds between 70 – 90 mph. Storm surge on the St. Johns River will be between 6 – 10 feet. Standing water as high as 6 feet expected to last for several days following the storm.
· The Beaches mayors have enacted a curfew for Saturday (10/8/2016) from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
· The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is continuing their 24-hour staffing levels implemented to track and monitor storm conditions and their impact on Jacksonville.
· City resources and teams, including the Emergency Road Access Teams (ERAT) and Public Works, are continuing to address various needs throughout the community.
· Public Works has addressed 1 stormwater related issue and 7 malfunctioning traffic signals. Citizens are reminded to treat malfunctioning traffic lights as 4-way stops.
· Shelters are open with space available.
o The Legends Center (5130 Soutel Dr.- 32208; pet friendly)
o Atlantic Coast High School (9735 R. G. Skinner Parkway – 32256; pet friendly)
o Twin Lakes Elementary School (8000 Point Meadows Dr. - 32256) Landmark Middle School (101 Kernan Blvd. N. – 32225; pet friendly)
· There are no road closures at this time, however 1-10 is open but traffic flow is heavy.
· Per JSO, traffic on roadways out of the beaches (Atlantic, Beach, Wonderwood and JTB) is light at this time. Now is the right time to leave. As conditions deteriorate and become more difficult, road travel will be dangerous. Road closures will begin to occur. Make plans to be at your safe place by midnight, Thursday.
· Citizens are encouraged to call 630-CITY (2489) for any issue reports or information requests.
· City offices and facilities are closed today to non-essential personnel.
· Duval County public schools and postsecondary institutions UNF, EWC, FSCJ, and JU have cancelled today’s classes.
· JTA is operating on a normal schedule today.
· Please recognize that the COJ.net website and JaxReady app are experiencing high volume. They are active, however are currently slow.
· Citizens can check if their home is an evacuation zone at
http://www.coj.net/departments/fire-and-rescue/emergency-preparedness/get-prepared/evacuation-zones.aspx,
http://maps.coj.net/DuvalProperty/# or on the
JaxReady mobile app.
· Zone C has been added to the evacuation orders enacted by Mayor Lenny Curry. Zones A and B were evacuated yesterday. Citizens can check if their home is an evacuation zone at
http://www.coj.net/departments/fire-and-rescue/emergency-preparedness/get-prepared/evacuation-zones.aspx,
http://maps.coj.net/DuvalProperty/# or on the
JaxReady mobile app.
· Population for evacuation zones are as follows:
o Zone A – 192,000
o Zone B – 72,000
o Zone C – 192,000
· Updates from JEA:
o JEA’s Downtown Business Office will be closed tomorrow.
o JEA employees are now focusing only on storm preparation and restoration.
o As of today, JEA will not disconnect service for non-pay or connect new service through the storm.
o Customers can Text REG to MyJEA (69532) to register to notify JEA of an outage. They can also go to
jea.com/alerts to sign up. With this, citizens experiencing outages can text OUT to MYJEA.
o JEA expects widespread outages and customers should be prepared for multiple days without services.
Updates will be provided regularly via the City’s
website and social media
accounts.