JEA Ready for 2023 Hurricane Season, Offers Tips to Help Customers Prepare

2023-05-26

JACKSONVILLE – With the start of the 2023 hurricane season, JEA is encouraging Northeast Florida residents to join with the utility in being prepared. While no one knows when a tropical storm or hurricane might impact the region, JEA team members plan year-round to provide for the community’s safety - before, during and after severe weather.

“Our customers rely on us for safe and reliable services, particularly during major storms,” JEA Managing Director and CEO Jay Stowe said. “Our teams prepare throughout the year to ensure we are responsive to any interruptions, have the supplies we need and a hardened infrastructure to better withstand the effects of major storms.”

During the past several years, JEA has invested in electric and water infrastructure, including replacing wooden transmission poles with concrete poles, adding 128 generators and 109 pumps across facilities and hardening electric service to critical pump stations.

Since most storm-related power outages result from tree branches falling on power lines, JEA reduces the risk of downed branches causing outages by trimming trees across the region all year long.

JEA also has launched new technology to better serve customers and to address issues before they escalate during inclement weather. JEA has developed an interactive 3D map to monitor 1,550 sewer pumping stations and more than 500 water pressure sensors. By increasing situational awareness, the Augmented Operational Intelligence system has helped JEA minimize Sanitary Sewer Overflows and maintain water pressure throughout the system.

JEA encourages residential and business customers to take the following actions now to stay updated during any storm-related impacts:

• Visit jea.com/updateinfo to ensure your contact information is up-to-date and to register for power restoration alerts.
• To report electric or water outages during a storm, visit jea.com/outage or call (904) 665-6000.
• Customers who have enrolled in electric outage alerts also can text “OUT” to MyJEA (69532) to report an outage.

JEA also recommends the following preparations:

• Trim trees and maintain proper tree care to reduce outages. Local tree care specialists and arborists can help identify risks and minimize damage before the storm strikes.
• Assemble a disaster supply kit with at least seven days of supplies of food, water, medicine, batteries and other supplies.
• Keep mobile devices fully charged; be prepared with a portable phone charger in case of a power outage.
• Just as you should create a plan for you family, business owners should develop a plan that will safeguard employees, critical infrastructure and data/information in the event of a storm.
• Make a plan for medical equipment. JEA does not restore power to certain customers before others, no matter their dependence on life-sustaining medical devices. Customers with such devices should consider sitting a storm out at a storm shelter.
• Find more resources at jea.com/storm.

About JEA

JEA is a not-for-profit, community-owned utility that provides safe, reliable and affordable services to more than one million customers across four Northeast Florida counties. JEA is not owned by investors. It was created by the City of Jacksonville to meet the electricity and water needs of those who live in Jacksonville and surrounding communities. JEA’s 2,000+ workforce is dedicated to ensuring the demands of its customers are met, both today and for generations to come, while protecting our precious natural resources and supporting our region’s growth and economic development.

Media Contact

Karen McAllister
JEA Media Relations
media@jea.com | (904) 665-5500

Category:

• storm