Some devastated, some relieved as evacuees return

456,000 were asked to evacuate Duval County ahead of Matthew

DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – Thousand of people who evacuated Jacksonville's beach communities and other areas of the city evacuated by Hurricane Matthew on Thursday were allowed to return home Saturday afternoon. 

Mayor Lenny Curry lifted the evacuation order at noon Saturday as crews assessed the damage in the wake.

"It's a new day," Curry said during a post-hurricane briefing. "We're on the other side of it now and there's a lot to be done."

Residents were asked to stay indoors and move around as little as possible doe to fallen trees, fences, and standing water. until further advised. The National Weather Service said flooding will continue as elevated water levels are expected to remain within the St. Johns River for at least a week. 

"Don't ride around and sight see," Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said.

While hundreds of people found trees down, roofing or siding missing or water had entered their homes, thousands more found only minor damage, or just their property littered with debris.

City officials said Saturday that one person died during the storm, but gave no details. News4Jax learned that Bob McDonald was on his roof Saturday putting a tarp on a leak when he fell and died at the hospital. He death was announced on the Facebook page of his church Lakewood Presbyterian.

Nearly a quarter million JEA customer lost power during the hurricane and 143,744 were still without electricity at 6:45 a.m. Sunday. Utility officials said it had 1,426 employees involved in restoration efforts, 18 mutual aid crews were in the city working and 10 more were expected Sunday.

For more on the restoration process, go to jea.com/restoration. If persons experience downed lines, please stay clear and call 630-CITY in Duval County. Customers can Text REG to MyJEA (69532) to register to notify JEA of an outage. Citizens can then text OUT to MYJEA.

Duval County Public Schools will make a decision Sunday on whether to open schools Monday. Officials said their goal is to open schools district wide on Monday depending on road access, power, flooding and the extent of damage to school buildings.

Some of the schools continue to be used as shelters and they will need to be cleared and cleaned before they can open. DCPS will inform the community about the status of schools for Monday by Sunday afternoon.

Jacksonville University announced it will remain closed Monday, but the University of North Florida and Florida Community College at Jacksonville and Edward Waters College will reopen on schedule.

Duval County had closed several shelters, but two remain open:

  • Legends Center at 5130 Soutel Drive 
  • Atlantic Coast High School at 9735 R. G. Skinner Parkway (special needs, general population, pet friendly)

Those staying in shelters must bring their own food, water and bedding.

PHOTOS: Hurricane Matthew's aftermath

The 630-CITY website and JaxReady app are operational. Please recognize that they are experiencing high volumes, slowing operations. The city encourages citizens to use the JaxReady app and 630-CITY website as call waiting times may exceed an hour.

Storm surge and rough surf tore off the end of the Jacksonville Beach Pier and ocean water washed inland passed 2nd Street in some areas. Trees were reported down across the city, some blocking streets, although all major roads were open.

One Northside neighborhood on Lucky Drive near Tallulah Avenue had to knock down fences behind homes to have a way out of the neighborhood because trees and power lines were down in the road.

It was a similar situation in the Empire Point area off Atlantic Boulevard, as a downed trees took out power lines and blocked access to the neighborhood.

"Well, we are (stuck), but Jacksonville is a lovely place," William Falck said. "If I have to be stuck somewhere, I am happy to be stuck here."

WATCH: Sky 4 surveys Hurricane Matthew damage | Coverage of historic storm

Huguenot Park closed

Huguenot Park is closed because of damage from Hurricane Matthew.

The storm surge ripped up the paved road that parallels the St Johns River along the camping area across from the Mayport Navy base.

Huguenot Park is the only beach in Duval County that allows vehicles, but there’s no access to it now.

Huguenot is also known for its nesting shore bird habitats, which are believed to have been impacted greatly by the storm surge, which was projected at 7-9 feet in the area. 

Boil water advisory for some

There is no county-wide boil water advisory in effect for JEA water. However, anyone who has been without water as a result of the storm should boil their water, in an abundance of caution.

Due to flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, the Florida Department of Health in Duval County is advising individuals under a boil water notice to take precautions against contaminated water.  This is likely to mainly effect those with flooded drinking water wells.  If your drinking well has been covered with flood water, your water may contain disease-causing organisms and may not be safe to drink.

The Department recommends one of the following:

  • Boil water, before use, holding it at a rolling boil for at least one minute before using it for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes.
  • Disinfect water by adding 8 drops (about 1/8 tsp – this would form a puddle about the size of a dime) of plain unscented household bleach (4% to 6% strength) per gallon of water; and then let it stand for 30 minutes. Add 7 drops of bleach if high strength bleach is used (8.25% strength).  If the water is cloudy after 30 minutes, repeat the procedure once.
  • Use a container that has a cap or cover for disinfecting and storing water to be used for drinking. This will maintain your disinfection.
  • Use bottled water, especially for mixing baby formula.

If your drinking water Well Head was flooded, please complete the following:

  • Disinfect your well using the procedures available from your county health department or provided on the Florida Department of Health Private Well Testing webpage, http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/private-well-testing/index.html.
  • Have your water tested by your county health department or by a laboratory certified by the State of Florida to perform a drinking water analysis for coliform bacteria.
  • Maintain boil water instructions until you receive the results from the test.

JTA transportation

JTA service remained suspended on Saturday so first responders can ensure roads are safe and passable. JTA is planning to resume fixed route bus service on Sunday.

Connexion, the paratransit service, will provide life-sustaining trips on Saturday.

The St. Johns River Ferry will remain closed until it is safe to resume operations.

JTA is planning to resume operation of the Skyway on Monday.

Public Works continues post-storm efforts

In  Hurricane  Matthew’s  aftermath, the city of Jacksonville Public Works department continues to assess the damage and actually doing what they call a cut and toss -- cutting up trees, removing them and placing them on the side of the road for future disposal. It's something the city said homeowners can do as well.

As of Saturday evening, the department had addressed 81 stormwater related issues, 405 tree issues and 147 malfunctioning traffic signals

Public Works, collaboratively with JEA, is working to restore traffic control signals, which are dependent on the availability of power. 

Additionally, stormwater crews are checking drainage systems in low-lying areas to identify and remove blockages that may be causing retention of floodwaters. The city will also deploy an increased number of street sweepers beginning Sunday through Saturday, Oct. 15.

  • The Public Works “Cut & Toss” team was deployed at 7a.m. Saturday. They will be removing trees and debris from roadways. Priority areas including known locations of downed trees and the main corridor will be addressed first.
  • Persons can report needs for service by calling 630-CITY.
  • Waste collections normally scheduled for Friday have been rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 9.
  • Begin cleanup of  yards and properties as soon as possible, and bring storm debris to the
    curb in order to help inspectors understand the volume of debris and coordinate response efforts accordingly.
  • Regularly scheduled yard waste collection will be limited to bagged and containerized waste, and the five cubic yard limit will remain in effect.
  • Loose debris will be collected separately by storm recovery crews. There is no volume limit on loose debris. As a result, residents should leave debris loose and piled by the curb, even  that which would ordinarily be containerized.   
  • Place debris at least three feet away from utility boxes and poles, mailboxes, fire hydrants and other impediments. Do not place materials under trees.
  • Avoid parking on streets whenever possible to aid in storm recovery efforts.
  • Residents can take debris directly to Trail Ridge Landfill -- disposal fees will apply.
  • Assist with the clean up efforts on roads and rights of way, if it is safe to do so. Remove debris from neighborhood streets, gutters and on storm drains. 

Other updates

  • Upon the storm’s initial hit Friday, fire and rescue crews were responding to a call every 60 seconds.
  • During the six hours of the storm’s full engagement, they responded to a call every 30 seconds.
  • Libraries will return to normal operations on Sunday.
  • With such high surge levels causing flooding and standing water, there may be an increase in
    mosquitoes. The city’s Mosquito Control division conducts spray operations daily.
  • Marine terminals and facilities remain closed to land side and vessel operations pending current damage assessments by JAXPORT authorized personnel and official clearance from US Coast Guard Captain of the Port for operations to resume.

Thanking first responders

The management at Maple Street Biscuit Company said it wanted to recognize "those who have been serving us," throughout the storm.

The store is offering a free meal Sunday morning at its Jacksonville Beach and Murray Hill locations for all first responders, firefighters, police officers, linemen, EMTs and news reporters.

The locations will be open from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. with a limited menu.

The public is welcome to come in as well and order from the limited menu. 

Coffee will be free for all, managers said.


About the Authors:

Jim Piggott is the reporter to count on when it comes to city government and how it will affect the community.