ARCADIA, Fla. -- Emergency Management officials in DeSoto County have ordered a mandatory evacuation of some area of the county and have opened shelters.
The evacuations are in effect for mobile home parks, RV parks, and low-lying areas prone to flooding.
The National Weather Service in Tampa has issued a Flood Warning for the Peace River at Arcadia from Sunday evening until further notice. The river is forecast to rise above flood stage by Sunday evening and continue to rise to near 17.7 feet by Wednesday early afternoon.
The National Weather Service in Tampa has issued a Flood Warning for Horse Creek near Arcadia from Sunday afternoon until further notice. *
Information about Shelter Openings will change with the storm. As of now the storm has slowed down a little and landfall is expected late Saturday or Sunday. Shelter times are being changed to make sure people aren't in shelters unnecessarily.
Special Needs Shelter - Opening Saturday at 3 PM
Applicants must register to use this shelter. This shelter will reach capacity. Please only apply if you need mechanical aid or oxygen to survive. See Special Needs page: https://snr.floridadisaster.org/Signin?ReturnUrl=%2fSurveys
South Florida State College
2251 NE Turner Avenue
Arcadia, FL 34266
DeSoto County Public Shelter - Open Saturday at 10 AM
DeSoto Middle School and Gymnasium
420 East Gibson Street
Arcadia, FL 34266
Location: Corner of East Gibson and LaSalona Avenue, three blocks east of US 17.
It has become more likely that Irma will make landfall in southern Florida as a dangerous major hurricane, and bring life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts to much of the state.
DeSoto County Emergency Management is recommending VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS for people in low lying/flood prone areas, residents of RV Parks and residents of mobile homes. Areas of flooding concerns are areas near Horse Creek, the Peace River, Spring Lake, and parts of Lake Suzy. If you are going to evacuate, start doing it now.
For more information, please contact emergency management at 863-993-4831.
