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==Hurricane Charley and the 21st century== In 2004, Arcadia was heavily damaged by [[Hurricane Charley]], during which the [[Eye (cyclone)|eye]] went over the city, with winds measured up to {{cvt|109|mph|m/s}} at 5:27 pm. The winds were suspected to be stronger outside the city, but cannot be proven due to the lack of equipment outside the city. The city's only shelter, the Turner Agri Civic Center, was a shelter made to withstand winds over {{cvt|100|mph|m/s}}, but it collapsed during the storm. Everyone evacuated into the hallways and the kitchen of the Turner Center prior to the collapse.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=2004 Hurricane Charley 10 year anniversary |url=http://www.southdadenewsleader.com/news/state/2004-hurricane-charley-10-year-anniversary/article_addf53a5-1def-5f99-9988-6bd4f01ebd6b.html |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=South Dade News Leader |language=en}}</ref> The people in the Turner Agri Civic Center were evacuated to DeSoto High School, but soon, part of its roof collapsed. In the center of the town, the Old Opera House's roof was peeled off, causing severe water damage. The hurricane severely damaged downtown, especially businesses on Oak Street and Polk Street. Eventually, the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]] shelter was forced to evacuate due to the collapsing of the building. The city water tower crumpled along [[Florida State Road 70]] and was never replaced after the hurricane. The city's only hospital was heavily damaged, with 35 windows shattering. Part of the roof peeled back, which exposed equipment and patients to the wind-driven rain. This caused an estimated $2.3 million in damages to the hospital.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Desoto Memorial Hospital Recovers from Hurricane Charley {{!}} FEMA.gov |url=https://www.fema.gov/case-study/desoto-memorial-hospital-recovers-hurricane-charley |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=www.fema.gov |language=en}}</ref> Hurricane Charley caused 3,600 homes to be destroyed or heavily damaged, and displaced 16,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 10, 2014 |title=Arcadia Moves On 10 Years After Hurricane Charley |url=https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/culture/2014-08-09/arcadia-moves-on-10-years-after-hurricane-charley |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=WUSF Public Media |language=en}}</ref> The exact amount of damage is not known, but it was ln the millions of dollars. Two people died in DeSoto County during the storm, and 150 people were injured. Many residents of the town left and never came back.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cummings |first=Ian |last2=Herald-Tribune |date=August 8, 2014 |title=In DeSoto County, Charley's wounds linger |url=http://extra.heraldtribune.com/2014/08/08/desoto-county-charleys-wounds-linger/ |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=Extra |language=en-US}}</ref> After Hurricane Charley, the people in DeSoto High School were taken to the middle school nearby, where at least 75 people spent the night in the middle school's gymnasium.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snyder |first=David |last2=Finkel |first2=David |date=August 16, 2004 |title=Fla. Begins Recovery From Deadly Storm |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/08/16/fla-begins-recovery-from-deadly-storm/dc735426-adb9-422b-afdf-239809640aff/ |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=The Washington Post}}</ref> The hurricane caused downtown to be heavily damaged. The storm caused 90% of homes in DeSoto County to be damaged and 60% to be uninhabitable or destroyed. The [[National Guard (United States)|National Guard]] was deployed to the city and started the cleanup process and enforced a strict curfew in the city. The people of Arcadia came together and started helping each other after the storm, from feeding people to rebuilding. Although during the rebuilding process, the first wave of the [[Great Recession]] began, the people of Arcadia were able to rebuild their homes and bring new homes to the city. Downtown Arcadia was rebuilt, but some parts of the county are still damaged from Hurricane Charley. About 12 years were needed to rebuild, but parts of the city and county are still damaged from it. In 2017, [[Hurricane Irma]] went over the city as a [[category 1 hurricane]]. It did not cause a huge amount of damage to the city. Some of the downtown area was damaged, with the Oak Park Inn taking considerable damage, and was not able to open for 4 months after the storm. Parts of DeSoto County were flooded, especially communities on the [[Peace River (Florida)|Peace River]]. The storm dropped 10-15 in of rain near Morgan Park on the Peace River. The river and its tributaries flooded roadways, homes, and parks. The damage extent is unknown.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kimel |first=Earle |title=Peace River crests near record high, flooding homes |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/sarasota/2017/09/15/peace-river-crests-near-record-high-flooding-homes/18802227007/ |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> In March 2020, Arcadia declared a local [[state of emergency]] in response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=COVID-19 – City of Arcadia |url=https://arcadia-fl.gov/covid-19/ |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=arcadia-fl.gov}}</ref> DeSoto county has had 10,174 cases of COVID-19. On September 28, 2022, [[Hurricane Ian]] Made Landfall near [[Cayo Costa]]. The Hurricane struck as a strong [[Saffir–Simpson scale|Category 4 Hurricane]], near [[Category 5 Hurricane|Category 5 strength]]. The storm would go over the city of Arcadia as a Category 3 Hurricane. The Hurricane would cause major flooding along the [[Peace River (Florida)|Peace River]], flooding homes and roads near or on the river. [[Florida State Road 72|SR-72]] collapsed, and buildings and homes in Arcadia would be damaged.
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