JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — With the First Coast set to feel impacts from Hurricane Milton in less than 24 hours, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan warned residents and businesses they may go through extended periods of time without power.
Since Wednesday morning, rain showers and wind gusts have picked up on Jacksonville Beach. With power outages likely along the coast, First Coast News is On Your Side with some tips to keep you and your family safe if you lose electricity.
Florida Poison Control Center Jacksonville warns that in a power outage, the food in your refrigerator is only good for four hours. The CDC recommends tossing everything afterward to avoid food poisoning.
"If you're not opening and closing the door, for the freezer, a half-full freezer is good for one day. If your freezer is fully stocked, the food can be stored safely two days without power," explained Mike McCormick, Jacksonville Poison Control spokesperson.
Now, if you plan to use a generator to power your home, make sure to keep the generator outside.
McCormick adds Hurricane Helene created a spike of carbon monoxide poisoning cases from people bringing their grills or generators inside.
"Even when people get bored without the power so they maybe raise the garage door, turn the car on to charge their cell phone. Anything basically that burns fuel, whether it's wood whether it's gasoline can produce carbon monoxide poisoning, so we got to keep that out," he said.
Here at the beaches, there are already JEA crews on standby to respond to power outages when the wind is calm enough to work around power lines.