JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman and her two children were without power in their home for almost seven weeks after Hurricane Helene.
Despite all the phone calls she made for help, the lights were still off. So, her family called the Ask Anthony team to get them turned back on.
"Darkness, smelly, mold on some of the stuff in the kitchen." That's how Kristin Jordan describes the place she calls home, and the reason why, is because of what happened outside of her house on Jacksonville's Northside at the end of September.
When Hurricane Helene moved through Florida, a tree fell on Jordan's home and damaged the meter box and the weatherhead.
"They turned everybody's lights on but mine. I had a note on my door saying they couldn't give me power back because a pole was down and they cut the wires," Jordan said.
Since then, she hasn't been able to stay in her home and has been relying on the kindness of family members and friends for a place to sleep at night.
"I'm tired. I'm stressed. I'm tired of sleeping on sofas. I just want to get in my bed and relax."
According to JEA, when damage is caused to a weatherhead, where electric wires attach to a house, customers must get a licensed electrician to make repairs before JEA can restore power.
The problem is Jordan isn't the owner of the home. It's a rental property.
"It's not JEA's fault. It's the property manager's fault. It's 'let us check. We'll call you back.' That's all I've been getting since September 30," Jordan said.
With nowhere else to turn, her mother was the first one to call Anthony Austin for help. After seeing the problem, Anthony started making phone calls.
The name of the property management group for Jordan's home is "Second Avenue" with headquarters in Tampa. After speaking with different employees on the phone, Anthony was able to get an email address to contact the management team. He received a response that his questions were being forwarded to company leadership for their review.
The leadership team with Second Avenue never responded to the questions. However, JEA did answer Anthony's questions and kept me him updated on the situation.
It appears his emails got someone's attention at Second Avenue.
"Let there be light!" Jordan exclaimed.
After interviewing Kristin Jordan last week, by Tuesday, she had a new meter box and the weatherhead was repaired. JEA contacted Anthony Austin to let him know they had restored power for Jordan and her two children.
She was excited to share the good news as well and her plans once she moves back into her house.
"Sleep in my own bed, twinkle my toes, and rub my feet!" Jordan said.