JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — According to a JEA recent press release, the utlity company is closely monitoring Hurricane Ian to ensure the utility’s readiness for the storm. Jay Stowe, JEA’s Managing Director & CEO has ordered JEA’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to operate at partial Activation status. This will allow the EOC to perform around-the-clock storm monitoring to provide scheduled communications to internal teams, field crews and customers.
Weather experts are forcasting Hurricane Ian will likely produce steady, strong winds and rain starting late Wednesday in Northeast Florida. JEA is preparing for potential widespread outages and flooding in low-lying areas.
“Regardless of the impact, all 2,000+ JEA team members are ready to mobilize and restore power and water as soon as possible for our customers, as we prepare year-round for all types of severe weather,” Stowe said.
Mutual aid crews that remain outside of the impact area are now on standby to mobilize the restoration process as needed.
In addition to storm preparation, beginning on Tuesday, JEA will temporarily suspend customer disconnections for non-payment.
JEA will keep customers informed with preparation tips, developments and important notifications via email and social media.
Customers are encouraged to maintain current mobile phone numbers and email addresses on their jea.com account and sign up for voice, email or text alerts for updates on possible power outages.
JEA’s Severe Weather Prep as noted in their most recent press release.
- Storm Hardening: JEA’s investment in hardening electrical, water and sewer systems is described as making the company more resistant to storm-related disruptions. This will also help to restore power more quickly after a major storm.
- Year-Round Tree Trimming: While strong winds and heavy rains can cause storm damage, most storm-related power outages result from tree branches falling on power lines.
- Water & Sewer Upgrades: JEA has upgraded its water and sewer facilities and installed backup generators to reduce the risk of storm-related service interruptions.