JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After a week in the dark, residents at the Island Pointe Apartments are finally seeing the light tonight.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
JEA went to the property today to restore electrical service for the majority of residents.
The journey to get the lights back on has been a difficult one.
Right now, 10 apartments remain without power, but JEA says it has some recommendations that should alleviate these issues.
The apartments still need safety checks or additional work from the electrician. Action News Jax spoke with one family this afternoon who just had their power restored and they said this entire situation has been a nightmare.
INVESTIGATES: Whistleblowers question safety of school bus company
Action News Jax has followed this story since last Thursday after an apartment building caught fire during Tropical Storm Nicole, leaving it completely gutted.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
For safety reasons, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department asked JEA to turn off all power in the apartment complex.
Although some homes had power restored earlier this week with power, one family who didn’t want to be identified on camera just returned to their home today.
They say to be without power for this long is troubling.
“We’re beyond mad. We should not have had to go this long without power,” the family said.
Read: Asst. Principal quits, Dean/Football coach could be sacked amid ‘inappropriate actions’ at school
Eight days — that’s how long some residents in this apartment complex have been without power.
The family that Action News Jax spoke with says they lost all food out of their refrigerator due to the outage.
“All of it. We just got almost $400 worth of groceries,” the family said.
Island Pointe Apartments is located right beside the Trout River, which flooded the complex last Thursday.
Action News Jax obtained photos from JEA, which showed several electrical boxes and meters submerged in water.
Greg Corcoran, with JEA, says the utility company has already recommended what the apartment complex should do next with its electrical meters.
Read: Expected temperature dip in Jacksonville prompts cold night shelter to open to area homeless
“What we would recommend at this location is maybe those meters that are lower. Maybe within 2 or 3 feet off the ground or the water line to put those higher up,” Corcoran said.
The family we spoke with just wants the apartment complex to be held accountable.
“It was always they were pointing the fingers at other people, and not taking responsibility for their jobs around here,” the family said.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Action News Jax called the apartment complex to ask if it is reimbursing tenants for the loss of food items during the outage.
Action News Jax left a message, but no one has returned the call.
