FL

Storm restoration across DeSoto County

DeSoto County is an inland county in southwest-central Florida with no direct coastal exposure, making storm surge a non-factor, but the Peace River corridor running through Arcadia creates severe riverine flood risk during major storms. Hurricane Charley (2004) made a direct hit on the county, destroying or heavily damaging approximately 3,600 homes and injuring 150 people, primarily from catastrophic winds reaching 109 mph in Arcadia. Hurricane Ian (2022) shifted the dominant threat to inland flooding: more than 20 inches of rain caused the Peace River to crest near 24 feet, nearly doubling its previous record of 20.55 feet set in 1912, flooding approximately 2,000 homes and closing 15 county roads after the storm had already passed. The county sits in the path of storms tracking northeast after Gulf landfall, with both wind damage and post-landfall riverine flooding as locally specific, high-severity risks.