JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A sign of Tropical Storm Ian's dwindling severity, one Jacksonville Beach Waffle House played host to some important and colorful characters Thursday morning.
Reporter Matthew Torres spent time inside that Waffle House where the area's mayor, Christine Hoffman, gave a warning to all local residents as experts predict more rain and wind to hit the area.
"Definitely stay off the beach. Stay out of any body of water. We still have pretty dangerous conditions out there," Hoffman said.
The mayor also added that the beach's dune system is expected to hold during the storm.
Emergency vehicles are hitting the road throughout the area to repair outages and downed power lines. Hoffman said it's imperative for residents to stay off the roads to let the emergency responders work as quickly and safely as possible.
"Stay off the roadways as much as possible," Hoffman said. "Let our police, public works and our beach's energy officials get through to make those needed repairs and get trees out of the road."
Along with the mayor, the Waffle House also played host to a couple who recently moved to the area. The Minnesota transplants stood out due to the hockey helmets they were wearing.
"Out of fear of flying debris, they decided to wear their hockey helmets while walking to Waffle House," Torres tweeted.
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Ian hits Florida
Ian entered Florida as a hurricane and downgraded to a tropical storm leaving a trail of damage. See the latest updates on our First Coast News YouTube playlist here.