JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Helene’s force was felt on the Westside of Jacksonville where one homeowner had a massive hole in his roof. A large tree fell on top of it after midnight.
Action News Jax found another house that had a very large tree that fell in their yard. Luckily it didn’t damage anything. Other homeowners like Julius Smith weren’t so lucky.
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“I heard the loud crash. I came out of my room to look, and the tree was in my living room,” Smith said.
You can see where this large tree was uprooted. Now, it’s resting diagonally across Smiths house.
“Real stressful just stressful,” said Smith
Smith said he has lived in Jacksonville for about 20 years and never experienced anything like this.
The ceiling is caving in, and you can see part of the tree in the house.
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Smith said his situation worsened when rain poured down through the hole in the roof.
“I started panicking. I started bringing in buckets and cans to catch the water,” Smith said.
This was just one of many downed trees reported across Jacksonville in Helene’s aftermath.
Mayor Donna Deegan told our radio partner WOKV that dozens of trees were toppled.
“140 trees were reported that were down. So, people please be careful when heading out and about,” Deegan said.
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Smith told us he was later stuck in the dark after several transformers blew.
“It was like the Fourth of July out here because the station is across the street,” Smith said.
JEA crews were restoring power and cutting down tree branches on Lake Weir Avenue.
Smith was alone in the house and was not hurt. He said he’s now taking things one day at a time as he plans to recover and repair his home.
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