JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While some JEA customers have been without power for nearly a week, residents in Jacksonville's Arlington area are more concerned after Hurricane Matthew downed power lines and cables throughout the neighborhood.
Neighbors told News4Jax Wednesday that they've seen sparking and dangling power lines but nothing has been done to fix the dangerous situation.
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"It's scary every time we look out that door," said Wendell Black.
Black has lived off Gately Road in East Arlington for 30 years and said it's not uncommon for him and his neighbors to lose power for several days. But he was especially concerned after the storm brought down power lines throughout the neighborhood.
For the past five days, people in the neighborhood have had to drive through or under down or low-lying power lines. They said it's a task that could be putting their lives in danger.
"The down power lines are my only concern. I have not actually been worried about the power. When you live out here, you are prepared to not have power. But the lines, we have been calling about since Friday night and no one has come out to look at them," said Karen Camerlango. "They are snaking down the road. They’re underneath things. They’re dropping down from things."
Camerlango and her family live in the same neighborhood in East Arlington. She said she's exhausted every option, calling JEA, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and even the mayor's office dozens of times in hopes of getting someone to remove the dangerous power lines.
"It is frustrating. Again, they say, 'It's all about public safety.' They say, 'Safety first,''' Camerlango said. "And then when you reach out and no one responds, it's frustrating."
Some of their neighbors even took matters into their own hands, moving power lines out of the streets and wrapping low-lying ones.
"They got no business doing that. They can get themselves killed, especially if it's been lying down and you don't see the end of it," Black said.
A JEA spokesperson told News4Jax that the utility company is aware of the fallen power lines and crews have been assigned to the job.
"And one of the operators, one of the many I spoke to said not to drive under it. And I said, 'That’s the only way I can get home.' And she said if I feel unsafe, 'Just don’t go home,'" Camerlango said. "That’s the kind of thing that makes you angry and frustrated. It’s never been about power, it’s been about those darn lines."
Neighbors in the community understand it will take time for power restoration, but want JEA to make the downed and dangerous power lines a priority.
Downed trees also cause concern for Arlington residents
It's not just downed power lines that have caused frustration for Arlington residents, but also fallen trees that are blocking roads.
A massive tree came down during Hurricane Matthew Friday and totaled one woman's car.
Jennifer Simms said she almost went out to the car to charge her phone right before the tree fell down.
"We heard, kind of, a crunch," Simms said. "We thought maybe we would lose a limb or, you know, something, but never to this degree."
Simms was still reeling Wednesday from the damage the massive tree caused when it fell across her driveway, totaling her car and continuing it's wrath through neighbors' yards.
"There's no opening the door here, from the impact from the tree. It's crushed down on the top," Simms said. "Some officers were down the road the other day and we stopped in to talk to them and they told us they didn't even know we existed. We just looked like woods."
JEA crews finally turned the lights back on for residents in the neighborhood Tuesday evening. But Simms said she's still devastated she won't be able to recover the car she worked so hard to pay off this year.
"I was very proud about that and that hurts a little bit. It was a long road. You know, it's not easy for a lot of people to pay off their stuff and that was a proud moment," she said.
Despite the loss, Simms' positive spirit was shining through because her family made it out of the storm safe and sound.
"Once we get all this removed and get our lives back on track, I think it will get better," Simms said.
An insurance adjuster came out to take photos of the car Wednesday, saying there's no doubt it's completely totaled.