As Jefferson County goes dark after Idalia, there's power in 'people helping people'

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Christy Jordan of Monticello celebrated her birthday at home in the dark Wednesday after Hurricane Idalia swept through the Big Bend, leaving most of Jefferson County paralyzed with downed power lines.

She walked in the rain Thursday evening with her two toddler grandchildren to Jefferson County's R. J. Bailar Public Library looking for assistance after hearing from a neighbor about a food and water distribution taking place.

"I think it's great that they help the community because sometimes people don't have a backup plan to be prepared," Jordan said. "A girlfriend was telling me how great it is here, and so we just moved here from Crawfordville, but I'm waiting to see all that."

Throughout Monticello Thursday, residents sat on porches and gathered in their yards, and businesses, including gas stations and grocery stores, were closed due to the power outages.

Paula Carroll, director of the Jefferson County Emergency Management Office, told the Tallahassee Democrat that about 99% of the county was out of power on Thursday, most critically in Monticello.

As of Friday, Carroll said Duke Energy crews have been working steadily to restore power.

Duke Energy said 95% of its customers should see their power restored by 11:30 p.m. Friday.

Some of the city is also served by Tri-County Electric Cooperative which has been working on restoration as well. Company representatives could not be reached Thursday or Friday for comment.

OFF THE GRID: United States Power Outage Tracker

"There are still quite a few of residents that are out of power," Carroll said Friday morning, "We were able to get a few people with some power, but the majority of the county is still out."

With so many powerless, volunteers and elected officials pulled together to provide meals and water for residents.

"We haven't had a disaster like this before and we're learning a lot from it," Jefferson County Manager Shannon Metty told the Tallahassee Democrat. "I think we were prepared beforehand for some sort of disaster and its actually coming together pretty well. This community is good at taking care of each other so I'm proud of it."

In front of the library Thursday, six semitrucks loaded with water and packages of ready to eat meals provided by the American Red Cross and Anheuser Busch were unloaded by volunteers and county officials using forklifts.

"I can tell you, every elected official is out here from our property appraiser (Angela Gray) to our State Rep. Allison Tant," Scott Goodlin, a volunteer said, as he stood in front of the library.

Goodlin and other volunteers said they have gone without power at their homes but wanted to help their neighbors.

"The people of the county are pulling themselves up and doing what they can to help a neighbor. People helping people is what you're seeing out here," Goodlin said.

Tant told the Tallahassee Democrat more help is on the way for residents.

"We are bringing as many resources as we can to Jefferson County, and we are working with partners such as Second Harvest and the American Red Cross and the state and local emergency management," Tant said.

How to help: A Florida guide to giving, volunteering after Hurricane Idalia ravages Big Bend

Tant said Amazon will be delivering baby supplies, 24,000 hygiene kits, and 36,000 bottles of water to the Jefferson County Emergency Management office for residents in need.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's office announced on social media Friday afternoon that the county is "currently in the process of being designated as an Individual Assistance eligible county by FEMA."

Residents are urged to report all losses to the Emergency Management Office at (850)342-0211 as soon as possible.

The emergency management office said there is no certainty yet of any state funding or disaster relief.

"Jefferson County is not guaranteed any funding at this time, however if they are able to secure any mitigation costs, they will notify you as soon as possible," an emergency management spokesperson said in a statement released by the Monticello-Jefferson Chamber of Commerce.

Jefferson County K-12 School is closed Monday for Labor Day, and it was unknown Friday afternoon if the school will open Tuesday. Residents should monitor the school's Facebook page for updates.

The school remained without power on Friday afternoon, Tant said.

Powering up: When will power be restored to Taylor, Madison, Jefferson counties? Duke has estimates

How to help

• Donate to the  Red Cross by visiting  redcross.org , calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word IDALIA to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Sign up to volunteer at  www.redcross.org/VolunteerToday .

• Help feed those in the strike zone through  Second Harvest of the Big Bend at  FightingHunger.org/Idalia .

• Donate to the  United Way of the Big Bend at  uwbb.org/disaster-relief-fund  or text RELIEF2023 to 41444.

With Tallahassee escaping the brunt of Hurricane Idalia's wrath, this story is part of a continuing series profiling hard-hit communities. Alaijah Brown is with the Tallahassee Democrat and can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Jefferson County after Idalia: A power struggle as people pull together