JEA securing job sites across Jacksonville for preparation against Hurricane Helene

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Action News Jax First Alert weather team is tracking Hurricane Helene and expects the storm to make landfall far west of Jacksonville sometime late Thursday, however, JEA workers are making sure they’re prepared for its local impacts nonetheless.

READ: JEA monitoring tropical disturbance, urges customers to prepare for possible Hurricane Helene

Workers for the Jacksonville area utility will be securing over a dozen job sites Wednesday across Duval County, including a recent manhole replacement site in Jacksonville’s westside.

“The main thing is making sure we don’t have any equipment out, any items that could become dangerous projectiles during heavy winds throughout the storm, so we work to make sure the sites are safe,” explained JEA spokesperson Karen McCallister on Wednesday.

A dozen trucks spent Wednesday morning filling in and covering up the 20-foot deep manhole on the westside with dirt, later tightly packing it in. The goal is to not just make sure equipment is picked up and secure, but ensure work sites across the county don’t contribute to flooding and stormwater drainage issues once the storm hits.

“We don’t wanna clog up the storm drains with excess dirt and then have issues with any rain that we get from the storm, getting where it needs to go, that way there’s no flooding,” explained JEA crew member Sean McVey Wednesday.

The Jacksonville Energy Authority will also have 400 line workers on standby to deal with the aftermath of Thursday and Friday’s storm.

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