JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As Hurricane Milton nears Florida, the city of Jacksonville opened several garages Wednesday morning for car owners seeking higher ground for their vehicles.
Five downtown garages opened Wednesday ahead of the storm:
- Water Street (541 Water Street)
- Ed Ball Building (238 W. Monroe Street)
- Yates Building (200 E. Adams Street)
- Duval Street (33 W. Duval Street)
- Kings Avenue Garage (1201 Kings Ave)
There is no cost for using these garages during the storm.
In addition to conventional damage to vehicles from rising floodwaters, the risk has particularly increased for electric vehicles because of fire danger to their lithium ion batteries. Multiple vehicle fires were reported from cars exposed to floodwaters in Hurricane Ian in 2022, and last month, a Tesla caught fire inside a family's garage in Siesta Key after the battery was exposed to salt water. Florida chief financial officer and state fire marshal Jimmy Patronis has also warned about the dangers of electric vehicle batteries during flooding.
Although the National Hurricane Center expects the eyewall of Hurricane Milton to pass well south of Jacksonville, the city has experienced flooding of the St. Johns River several times in recent years from hurricanes that struck elsewhere in the state, notably during Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Here are several tips for helping keep electric vehicles safe from floodwaters during hurricanes.
