Strong Tuesday afternoon thunderstorms slammed into Jacksonville and snapped the lights off for a big chunk of the city, leaving more than 23,000 JEA customers without power and large stretches of the Westside in the dark. Neighborhoods along the St. Johns River, including parts of Riverside, were hit hard as utility crews fanned out to assess damage and launch emergency repairs.
Where outages were reported
More than 23,000 customers lost power after the storms, according to News4JAX, which cited the utility’s outage map. The station reported that the bulk of the outages were centered on Jacksonville’s Westside, with roughly 1,000 outages clustered near Riverside.
How JEA is responding
According to JEA, storm-related trouble such as downed trees, lightning strikes and equipment damage are all routine culprits when severe weather moves through. Protective devices like fuses are designed to blow in order to isolate damaged sections of the grid and keep problems from spreading.
The utility says restoration work starts with hospitals and other life-safety facilities, then moves to major circuits and surrounding neighborhoods as crews bring larger blocks of customers back online. Customers can report outages through JEA’s online outage map, by calling (904) 665-6000, or by texting OUT to MyJEA (69532). When information is available, the outage map will show estimated restoration times so customers have a rough idea of when power might return.
Staying safe during outages
Emergency officials warn that if you see a downed power line or anything that could be an electrical hazard, keep your distance and call 911. Do not touch wires or anything that might be in contact with them, no matter how harmless it looks. This is one situation where curiosity absolutely does not pay.
FEMA advises that portable generators must always be used outdoors and well away from windows or vents to prevent carbon monoxide from building up inside. The agency also recommends keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to help preserve food until the power comes back on.
Officials urge residents to check on neighbors who rely on medical equipment and to follow local alerts for any information about available shelters or cooling centers while the outages continue.
This is a developing story, and updates on restoration estimates or official JEA statements will be added as the utility posts new information online. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911, and be sure to report outages through JEA’s reporting tools so crews can prioritize critical repairs.
