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LIVE BLOG: First Coast Hurricane Irma Recovery

David Luckin
/
WJCT
A house in Ponte Vedra Beach is damaged after Hurricane Irma.

Last updated 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, 9/13

Nassau County: Residential Garbage Service Resumes;  One Shelter Remains Open

The Journey Church at 95707 Amelia Concourse in Yulee remains open as the official shelter for Nassau County following the closure of the Callahan Middle School and Hilliard Middle-Senior School shelters.

At last check, 37 people were seeking shelter in the county, according to Nassau County Emergency Management.

Transportation is available to the Journey Church shelter, call (904) 548-0900 for assistance.  

The Nassau County Solid Waste Recycling Center will reopen Thursday and Advanced Disposal has resumed residential garbage and recycling service in Nassau County.  Storm debris pickup is expected to resume soon.

The Florida Department of Health in Nassau County will reopen for routine public services on Thursday, September 14.  

Duval County Courthouse will remain closed this week

The Duval County Courthouse will remain closed the rest of the week due to the continued closure of public schools, flooding concerns and the lack of electricity in parts of Duval County, Chief Judge Circuit Judge Mark Mahon announced. 

The Duval County Clerk of Court Beaches branch will also remain closed Thursday and Friday.

No Power? Cool Off At The Prime Osborn Convention Center

The Prime Osborn Convention Center at 1000 Water Street is being opened through Sunday to give people without power a place to cool off, according to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s office.

Those that wish to use the Prime Osborn will need to bring their own equipment, such as electronics and charging cords.

“Hurricane Irma left many in our community without the everyday comforts we’re so used to,” said Curry. “People are hot, tired and frustrated. My greatest priority right now is to help our citizens begin the process of rebuilding their lives and properties. This offering is an opportunity to help them recharge physically and mentally after dealing with the challenges of the past several days. I am grateful to SMG for their support,” said Curry.

JEA will also have representatives at the Prime Osborn to answer questions about power restoration.

The Prime Osborn will be open Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Thursday – Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Mayor’s Office also announced that pods with water and meal replacement items for citizens are  available at the following locations until 7 p.m. Wednesday:

  • Hobby Lobby (14286 Beach Blvd.)
  • McDonalds (5751 Beach Blvd.)
  • Edward Waters College (1853 Kings Rd.)
  • Supervisor of Elections (1 Imeson Park Blvd.)

Two Jacksonville shelter locations also remain open:

  • The Legends Center (5054 Soutel Dr.) - For special needs people and the general population.
  • Southside Baptist Church, operated by the American Red Cross (1936 Hendricks Ave.) – A general population shelter.

Clay Schools

Clay County Public Schools will remain closed Thursday and Friday. School officials say they're working toward reopening on Monday, Sept. 18.

The following employees will need to report to assist with preparing schools for next week:

  • All School Administrators will report to their schools to assess the damage on Thursday, Sept. 14
  • Transportation Mechanics will report to the Middleburg compound on Thursday, Sept. 14
  • All Maintenance Staff will report to Operations on Thursday, Sept. 14
  • Cafeteria Managers will report to their schools on Friday, Sept. 15

Duval County Shelter Remains Open

The Legends Center is only shelter still open in Duval County. It is for both special needs and general population. All other shelters are closed.  

JTA Service Schedule

All JTA Bus Routes are back in service except the 4A, 5A, 82 and Express Routes.

Bus service may experience delays and some bus stops may be missed due to road closures associated with fallen trees, downed power lines, debris and flooding.

JTA fixed route bus and paratransit services will resume on Wednesday, September 13.

Skyway service will resume on Wednesday, September 13.

The St. Johns River Ferry will resume service on Thursday, September 14.

JTA Customer Service representatives are available to assist customers from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Please call at 904.630.3100 or TTY 904.630.3191.

St. Johns County Shelter Opens

In response to impacts from Hurricane Irma, St. Johns County has opened the Solomon Calhoun Community Center, 1300 Duval Street, as a post-impact shelter for those who are unable to return to their homes. All other shelters are now closed. For more information, please visit www.sjcfl.us/hurricane or call the St. Johns County Emergency Management hotline at 904.824.5550.

All Post Offices/Stations/Branches/Finance Units have resumed normal operations, with the exception of the below listed offices that remain closed until further notice:  

Florida

  • ORANGE PARK MALL (FINANCE UNIT), 1910 WELLS RD, ORANGE PARK FL 32073
  • JACKSONVILLE NAS (FINANCE UNIT), BLDG 569 ENTERPRISE & CHILD ST, JACKSONVILLE FL 32212
  • JACKSONVILLE MAYPORT (FINANCE UNIT), BLDG 460 MASSEY AVE, JACKSONVILLE FL 32227

Georgia

  • SAPELO ISLAND, 1 LONG TABBY LANE, SAPELO ISALND GA 31327
  • SAVANNAH – HUNTER AAFB (FINANCE UNIT), 525 LEONARD NEAL ST STE 6010, SAVANNAH GA 31405
  • ST SIMONS ISLAND, 1705 FREDERICA RD, SIANT SIMONS GA 31422
  • JEKYLL ISLAND (FINANCE UNIT), 511 N BEACHVIEW DR, JEKYLL ISLAND GA 31519
  • SEA ISLAND, 351 SEA ISLAND RD STE 104 (FINANCE UNIT), SEA ISLAND GA 31522
  • WOODLAND RMPO, 60 E MAIN ST, WOODLAND GA 31836
  • FT STEWART AFB, WURZBURG STREET, FT STEWART GA 31314

Credit JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY
Debris from Hurricane Irma is removed from the Jacksonville University campus.

Florida State College at Jacksonville, Jacksonville University and Flagler College will resume classes on Monday, Sept. 18. Flagler's residence halls will reopen to residents on Sept. 16. 

The University of North Florida will resume classes Thursday, Sept. 14. 

Edward Waters College will resume classes on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

The Duval County Clerk’s Office will remain closed on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

Some First Coast YMCAs are opening Tuesday  from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. to the entire community.

Those without power can feel free to come in for a shower, charge a phone or let children play in the KidZone. The following branches are participating

  • Arlington YMCA
  • Barco-Newton Family YMCA
  • Brooks Family YMCA
  • Dye Clay Family YMCA
  • Flagler Center YMCA (open at 5:30pm; no KidZone)
  • Johnson Family YMCA (KidZone opens at 4pm)
  • Williams Family YMCA
  • Winston Family YMCA (parking in main lot and upper lot only)

JTA SERVICE

JTA is operating on a limited bus service level Tuesday. The following routes resumed service at noon: 
1, 3, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19, 24, 27, 50, 102, 107, 301, 302, 303, 305, 307 & 308.

Connexion, JTA’s paratransit service is available for life sustaining trips.

The St. Johns River Ferry and the Skyway will remain closed until further notice.

JTA is planning to resume regular fixed route bus service on Wednesday, September 13.

Please call JTA customer service at (904) 630-3100 or TTY (904) 630.3191 for specific questions.

11:15 a.m. Tuesday: 

BRIDGES/ ROADS: 

St. Johns County

All bridges in St. Johns County are now open. During re-entry, everyone is asked to be cautious of standing water hazards and debris obstructions. Re-entry tags are no longer required. Water and sewer services may not be immediately available and power may not be restored in many areas. For updates on the official reentry process, please visit www.sjcfl.us/hurricane or call the St. Johns County Emergency Management hotline at 904-824-5550

Clay County

Shands Bridge is now open to traffic.

 The following roads and bridges in Clay County are closed:

  • Blanding Blvd. at County Road 218
  • State Road 16 is closed from Sandhill Rd. to Thunder Rd.Sandhill Rd. to Thunder Rd.
  • County Road 220 at Joe Johns Road East of KnightboxxKnightboxx
  • Thunder Road at Eds Court
  • County Road 215 at Primrose
  • Henley Road at Black Creek Bridge

POWER

As of 9 a.m. more than 5.6 million Florida customers —more than half of the state — were without power. For a full county-by-county breakdown, click HERE.

As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, JEA estimated a third of its customers were without power, and it was too soon to give an estimate for full restoration. More than 1,700 staff and contractors were working to assess and repair damaged power lines, including crews from Missouri and Texas. 

In Nassau County, 76 percent of customers remained without power, particularly on Amelia Island and west of the Intracoastal. Florida Public Utility, which supplies all power needs to Amelia Island, reports there is no power there due to a transmission line down. Okefenokee Power also reports a down transmission line impacting more than 5,000 customers. A survey is underway to determine gas supplies in Nassau County. 

In Clay County, 45 percent remained without power.
In St. Johns County, 41 percent remained without power. 

In Baker County, the amount with power was 58 percent.

MAIL DELIVERY SUSPENDED: 

FLORIDA:

Effective Sept. 8, all Post Offices, Stations, Branches, and Finance Units within this 3-Digit ZIP Code range suspended retail and delivery operations until further notice:

ZIP Codes 320, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, and 344

GEORGIA:

ZIP Codes beginning with 304, 310, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, and 398

As conditions improve, the Postal Service will provide additional information on restoration of service, including the delivery of mail and the reopening of Post Offices. 

Customers may call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) for updated information.

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Jessica Palombo supervises local news gathering and production, podcasts and web editorial content for WJCT News, ADAPT and Jacksonville Today. She is an award-winning writer and journalist with bylines including NPR, Experience Magazine, and The Gainesville Sun. She has a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University and is an alumna of the University of Florida. A nearly lifelong resident of Jacksonville, she considers herself lucky to be raising her own children in her hometown. Follow Jessica Palombo on Twitter: @JaxJessicaP