Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry opens more emergency shelters, recommends evacuations in some areas

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry urged residents in Zones A and B to prepare for Hurricane Ian by considering leaving their homes if they think their property is at risk of flooding.

In addition, residents impacted by Hurricane Matthew or Hurricane Irma should also consider evacuating if they're concerned about repeat flooding.

Curry did not mandate evacuations during his Wednesday morning press conference at the city's Emergency Operations Center, but he recommended people living in low-lying areas relocate for the duration of the storm.

"It's very difficult to determine the actual impact of storms of this magnitude," Curry said. "While we do not want to overreact, we also want to ensure we've done enough to prepare should this storm strengthen or shift as it approaches."

Live updates: "Hurricane Ian Live Updates: Jacksonville planning to open 4 evacuation shelters at 5 p.m. Wednesday"

Emergency shelters in Jacksonville: "Hurricane Ian: Here are the emergency shelters opening in Jacksonville at 5 p.m. Wednesday"

He reiterated his warning in his evening press conference, after being briefed by the National Weather Service, and warned of an emerging Nor'easter moving in quicker than anticipated.

Curry opted against issuing a curfew but recommended residents stay off the roads after the storm begins, likely around 8 or 9 a.m. Thursday.

"[The Nor'easter has] already increased our risk with storm storm surge and flooding," Curry said at a 5 p.m. press conference. "Could be similar to Matthew and Irma. If you experienced flooding during Matthew or Irma and are in Zone A or B, it's likely that you will experience that type of flooding again."

Jacksonville under state of emergency order

Curry had earlier declared a state of emergency effective Wednesday at noon. On Wednesday, he echoed his previous warnings of "excessive rainfall, flooding and power outages"

In preparation for voluntary evacuations, Curry also opened three more emergency shelters in addition to Legends Center and Gymnasium. LaVilla Middle School, Landmark Middle School and Atlantic High School will open at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The city's emergency hotline will be open 24/7 at 630-CITY for residents seeking shelter or evacuation information.

Officials in attendance additionally urged residents to stay out of water to minimize the risk of emergency rescues.

JEA preparing for power outages

Jay Stowe, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of JEA, said over 300 crews would be in the area to help restore power if lost once major winds subside.

"We expect that there will be outages. If there are outages, we will look at shelters and hospitals and try to get the critical infrastructure backup online in our first phase of our restoration," Stowe said and encouraged residents to call the JEA hotline to report outages in their area.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry gives Hurricane Ian, shelter updates