Mayor Deegan says flooding and storm surge are the main concerns for Hurricane Milton

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Unlike Hurricane Helene, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said flooding and storm surge are the primary concerns for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to hit the area Wednesday evening into Thursday morning.

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Duval County was placed under a hurricane watch Monday evening.

During a news conference Monday, the mayor said the county should expect tropical storm winds of 40 to 50 mph and gusts of 60 to 70 mph. However, slightly stronger sustained winds and possible sustained hurricane-force winds are expected along beaches, intracoastal beaches along the St. Johns River, and high-profile structures.

While the winds may be similar to those in Helene, the flooding will be different in Milton this time, the mayor said.

“That’s what we’re most worried about compared to what we were worried about with Helene,” Deegan said. “Our soil is obviously already saturated. River levels are elevated.”

Deegan said at least 10 to 15 cm of rain is expected in a very short period of time, with a chance of up to 25 cm in some areas of the city. When these factors are combined, flooding could range from 2 to 4 feet in Ortega, Riverside, San Marco, Southampton, Downtown, and along the Trout River, Ribault River and Moncrief Creek.

The mayor urged residents to complete their hurricane preparations by Tuesday evening.

“We ask everyone to stay at home and stay off the streets on Wednesday. If you live in a flood-prone area, we encourage you to seek shelter on high ground or in one of our city shelters,” Deegan said.

The mayor said she would declare a local state of emergency starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The emergency call center will then move from partial to full activation.

JEA said crews are prepared to respond to any storm impacts in our area and urged customers to prepare for possible power and water outages.

A JEA spokesman said the recovery may be different than in Helene because Hurricane Milton is expected to have widespread impacts across the state. For these reasons, customers may have to wait a little longer to get their power back.

MORE | 'Please be patient': JEA says recovery times could be longer due to Hurricane Milton

“Please be patient with us. “We had a significant number of relief workers here during Hurricane Helene,” McAllister said. “Hurricane Milton will be different because we are competing for limited resources across the state in terms of contractors and mutual aid.”

Duval County city offices and public schools will be closed Wednesday through Friday.

The mayor said JTA will operate as long as it is safe to do so.

The St. Johns River Ferry's last trip is Tuesday at 10:45 a.m

MORE | County by county: Northeast Florida begins preparing for Hurricane Milton

Mayor Donna Deegan said JTA is providing free shuttles to residents of Ken Knight Drive to take them to the Legends Center.

Garbage collection will continue as planned on Tuesday. All Wednesday and Thursday solid waste, trash, recycling and yard waste collections are suspended.

Thursday trash and recycling pickup will be postponed until Saturday. Collection and recycling is expected to continue as usual on Friday.

“If you still see debris lying outside your home or want to move debris there, please try to keep it somewhere where it won't fly around until it's picked up.” “Tomorrow is up,” Deegan said. “Try to secure this as best you can and don’t throw out any new trash until we get this under control.”

Residents are asked to call 630-CITY and download the JaxREADY app with any questions.