( This story was updated to add new information. )
The reach of Hurricane Helene’s punishing wind-field extended into Northeast Florida where it unleashed tree-toppling gusts that downed power lines and left tens of thousands of JEA customers without electricity.
The Jacksonville area isn’t facing the same catastrophic damage that’s in store for Florida west of the Interstate 75 corridor. But Helene still will bring tropical storm force winds with sustained gusts of more than 39 mph to Northeast Florida.
Storm surge in the St. Johns River shoved water over the bulkheads in the Riverside neighborhood and caused street flooding. The Jacksonville fire department’s Emergency Road Access Team was on the move to clear fallen trees at spots across the city.
JEA had 79,656 customers without power at 12:17 a.m. Friday representing nearly 15% of all the utility’s customers. The number of people without electricity stood at about 1,400 customers at 9 p.m. and 5,420 customers at 10 p.m. and then ballooned as wind speeds picked up.