The city of Jacksonville plans to reopen its offices on Aug. 6 after closing them for Tropical Storm Debby, Mayor Donna Deegan said.
“It’s going to be business as usual for the city tomorrow,” Deegan said Aug. 5 during a 12:05 p.m. update on the storm.
Deegan said the municipalities of Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach had canceled City Council meetings scheduled for Aug. 5 as Debby moved through North Florida, bringing occasional periods of heavy rain and gusty winds that produced flooding in low-lying areas
Jacksonville Transportation Authority bus service continued to run as of mid-day on Aug. 5, Deegan said.
The St. Johns River Ferry, which had been shut down, resumed service in the early afternoon.
Deegan said about 200 people had sought protection from the storm in the city’s three emergency shelters, putting them well below capacity.
Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Aug. 5 near Steinhatchee in the Big Bend area. As it began moving inland, it was downgraded to a tropical storm. The slow-moving storm was expected to pose a threat of thunderstorms in Northeast Florida until at least nightfall Aug. 5, with rain continuing throughout the day Aug. 6.
During the midday update, Deegan cautioned local residents that the region still faced the possibility of flooding and damage from high winds as the storm moved through.