Disaster Date:09/27/2022
Arcadia, FL
Hurricanes
What Happened
Hurricane Ian struck Florida on September 27, 2022, as a Category 4 hurricane. With the wind speed of just short of a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Ian was the fifth most powerful storm to ever hit the country. This hurricane was the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. Hurricane Ian caused catastrophic damage. Damage was mostly from flooding from rain and storm surge. Of course, a lot of damage was caused by the intense wind. Millions were left without power.
Volunteer in Arcadia, FLWhat MDS Is Doing
MDS volunteers will be focused on repair and rebuilding work.
Location
Arcadia is located within DeSoto County in southwest Florida. The town has a population of about 7,700 people. The climate is generally hot and humid in the summer and warm, drier in the winter. In 2004, Arcadia was heavily damaged by Hurricane Charley in which MDS also responded to the same area. Arcadia sits in the middle of Florida cowboy country, and it is a place where the Old West meets the Old South. It is also known for its peaceful orange groves, streams built for canoeing and woods made for camping.
Stories from the Field
Weekly Reports
We welcomed 10 weekly volunteers to Arcadia this week, eight from Canada and two from Ohio. They came with lots of energy, ready to tackle the work before them. In addition to the current houses we’ve been working on, several new clients were added...
Another week with a group of fun-loving volunteers helping homeowners has come and gone. Much work was accomplished with several jobs completed or very near completion. Every evening when the volunteers shared about their workday, it always included...
Another week of helping homeowners has come and gone and much has been accomplished again. We had a much smaller group this week which spanned most of North America, from New York to California to Manitoba! They, along with the long-term volunteers,...