It was the sound for which Valarie Weigle had been waiting.
JEA trucks were close, right outside her home on Chaffee Road South.
She had heard and seen them on other days, too.
One truck came through the neighborhood Saturday, with a driver who believed power already had been restored. When the driver learned otherwise, she promised to get someone there as soon as she could.
No one came.
On another day, 15 trucks were heading down the nearby interstate. But they went right by Weigle’s street.
And then there were at least 30 JEA trucks assembled in a parking lot across the street from her house. None stopped at her home.
Finally, other JEA trucks arrived. And they were close.
Weigle “literally burst into tears,” she said in an email to Mayor Lenny Curry.
She was elated, the email said, until she watched them turn around and leave. No help for the 82 customers in her neighborhood still without electric service.
Such has been the case for tens of thousands of JEA customers left in the dark by power outages caused by Hurricane Matthew. A sign of hope that service would be restored, followed by disappointment and more waiting.
JEA’s infrastructure sustained $30 million in damages, CEO Paul McElroy told City Council members Tuesday. There were a significant number of downed trees and power lines, as well.
Those factors kept JEA from hitting its self-imposed deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday to have power restored. As of this morning, 14,000 residents were still without power.
Curry asked residents whose power wasn’t restored by midnight Monday to email him.
And they did. Hundreds of them, all in difficult circumstances.
A man whose 81- and 83-year-old grandparents in Baldwin are dependent on a breathing machine that requires electricity.
A family of six whose water comes from a well and hasn’t been able to flush their toilets for nearly four days.
A Northside woman who runs a sanctuary that cares for more than 70 animals.
And a Springfield father whose 4-year-old daughter doesn’t understand why her daddy can’t fix the lights. “How do you tell your child you can’t do for them when they look to you to be there for them?” Anthony Gibbs asked.
There are many people forced to take on financial burdens they can’t afford, ranging from bills for hotels to having to eat in restaurants. Even a man who had to pay a salon $18 to get his hair washed.
There also were businesses that couldn’t open because they didn’t have electricity, causing employees to not be paid and companies to be unable to fulfill orders.
It’s circumstances like those that made Curry ask residents to contact him.
“I realize people had expectations and they were in situations where they had no control and they’re stuck with any number of issues,” he said Wednesday.
Soon after the storm cleared, Curry was out in neighborhoods talking to residents about the damage to their homes or what needs they have. Sometimes, it was to give a comforting hug.
The administration has been distributing water and ready-to-eat meals to those in need. He took part in his first distribution Saturday in Mayport.
Curry knows many residents around the city struggle every day in normal circumstances.
“To think about what they’re going through in the aftermath has been on my mind since the storm,” he said.
Residents who emailed Curry shared their frustrations about JEA failing to meet its deadline.
“We cannot continue on with our daily lives without power,” said Vanessa Chinn. “We the residents have jobs to go to, our children have school to attend. We need hot water, we need news broadcasts, we need our refrigerators running.”
They also complained of receiving changing stories each time they called or being told JEA’s system indicated there was power at their homes when, in fact, there was not.
“JEA has truly failed me as a customer,” Henry Griffin wrote.
The utility came under fire from council Tuesday night over failing to meet the self-imposed deadline, having 72 sewage overflows and other issues.
The mayor was among the 60 percent of JEA residents who had power outages. He wasn’t home much, but believes it went out early in the storm and returned Sunday.
Curry was clearly agitated early in the week because so many people were still without power days after the storm.
On Twitter, he praised the crews who were handling the repairs, saying, “They are busting their butts.”
But he was not as kind about the situation, in general. He said missed deadlines were not acceptable because people made decisions based on the expected restoration time announced by JEA.
“I’ll get answers,” Curry said Tuesday on Twitter.
Because JEA is an independent authority, the mayor doesn’t have governance control, though he does appoint board members.
Curry said Wednesday he has been in contact with board Chair Tom Petway and has confidence the board will address the issue.
“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt they will do a thorough review and brief me,” Curry said.
The board meets Tuesday.
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