Damage, power outages after storms on Christmas Eve

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A series of strong storms that swiftly swept through Northeast Florida on Christmas Eve caused power outages and trees to be brought down.

Not long after the thunderstorms began to move inland, from Waycross to Lake City at around 4 p.m., severe storm warnings were issued for Clinch and Columbia counties.

As the rain poured in, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam St. Johns, Camden and Glynn were warned of severe thunderstorms until 7:30 PM.

News4Jax began receiving damage reports as soon as the dust settled.

In Jacksonville’s Dinsmore neighborhood, winds were strong enough to destroy a home’s back patio and topple a nearby fence. News4Jax found three homes in the Waterbrook Falls subdivision that were damaged.

Neighbors said the storm broke in minutes.

‘It was like a nightmare. I’ve never seen anything like it. I just thank God that me and the kids were okay, ”said Deborah Dempsey, who lives nearby.

Dempsey said the storm rolled through while she was preparing dinner for the family. Besides the damage to her terrace, her roof was cracked.

“We heard this whistling noise and after a while glass and everything went splashing and water came up and it just ripped everything out there,” she said. “We didn’t know if it was over or anything, because everything went so fast.”

Next to the door, the wind lifted the top of a chimney. At another house, a large tree fell in the backyard.

Dempsey said she is grateful that no one was hurt.

There were reports of fallen trees and branches blocking roads in Mandarin.

Hood Road was blocked in both directions a mile east of Old St. Augustine Road after a large tree fell and a downed power line on Claire Lane stopped traffic.

A tree landed on a house in Nature’s Walk subdivision:

Rick Blyar, the homeowner, said he was inside when the storm broke.

“It sounded like a tornado,” he said. So I went to a bathtub. Then it seemed to die. I came out and the same time I came out my neighbors came out to find out what was going on and we saw that. “

Blyar said he never heard the tree fall on the house because the wind was so strong. He said the damage was minimal because the tree landed on a support beam.

Nearby, a large tree fell on a camper. Police said no one was home when it fell.

In Mandarin, too, a power outage has not stopped Mandarin Presbyterian Church from having its Christmas Eve service. Look:

In Lake City, Jerry Norenberg said he was getting ready for dinner with his roommates when a tree came through their house.

Norenberg said they had to leave immediately.

“I stepped out of the kitchen and before you know it it sounded like a car was coming through the house,” he said. “It shocked me and I turned around again and saw a tree sticking out through the house.

Norenberg said they are trying to save what they can. He plans to stay with friends.

Power outages have affected thousands of homes. At 9:20 PM JEA showed 677 people without power. Clay Electric showed 13,505 people without power. Florida Power and Light experienced 1,428 outages.

FAULT CARDS | JEA | FPL | Clay Electric

A viewer submitted a photo of a light falling into a shopping mall parking lot near Baymeadows and Interstate 295.