JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – During a Thursday afternoon press conference, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said she was “beyond grateful that we continue to be so blessed in this city,” after Hurricane Milton left the area relatively unscathed.
“We got a huge ‘amen’ on this storm," Deegan said. “We have avoided the worst again.”
Related: Chest-high flood waters cover roads, surround homes in Hastings | Putnam County sets curfew due to widespread power outages, flooding after Hurricane Milton
The mayor said she does expect high tide around 2:30 p.m. to lead to some roads flooding, primarily in the areas she referred to as the “usual suspects” like San Marco and Riverside, but added that the city is “extraordinarily fortunate” to have been minimally impacted.
Power outages in the city, which peaked around 3 a.m. on Thursday, reached about 14,000 (13,761), a number that pales in comparison to the 513,000 people in Hillsborough County who were without power as of 1 p.m. on Thursday.
However, out of those who lost power, only 435 were waiting for restoration as of 11 a.m. Thursday.
“That’s amazing," Deegan said.
The mayor continued to say that numbers for weather-related calls and swift water rescues were “way down” from Hurricane Helene, emphasizing how different the two storms were despite beliefs that Milton would be more destructive.
Closures, Re-openings, Expirations, Donations
Mayor Deegan said many services will return to normal operations by Monday, but some may begin earlier.
First, the local state of emergency area will expire by 5 p.m. Friday for the Jacksonville area.
Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach will return to normal operations on Friday, while Neptune Beach will resume operations on Monday.
Waste pick-ups will resume on Saturday, but the mayor added that it may take “two to three cycles” to get through all the debris. She reminded residents that the limit of debris that can be placed outside a home is five cubic yards.
On their website, Duval County Public Schools said it remains closed on Thursday and Friday. “Once shelter schools are released to the district and a full assessment of all schools has been completed, we will be able to make a definitive announcement regarding operations next week,” DCPS said. Monday is a planning day for teachers so the earliest students could return to school is Tuesday.
Jacksonville International Airport operations were only slightly affected by Hurricane Milton, but no closures were ever announced. According to Deegan, about 25 flights were fully canceled.
Jaxport will remain closed on Thursday but should reopen shore operations by Friday.
Parking remains free of charge at city garages like the Kings Street Garage through Friday.
Finally, the mayor announced that Jacksonville’s Red Cross received about $350,000 in donations, which included a $50,000 donation from the Jacksonville Jaguars.