Incarcerated People Are on the Front Line of Hurricane Helene’s Destruction
Prisons and jails across the Southeast have experienced utility outages, evacuations, visitation disruptions, and staff shortages in the storm’s wake.
When Hurricane Helene made landfall last week, thousands of incarcerated people were in its pathway as it pummeled parts of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida.
As The Appeal has previously reported, incarcerated people are bearing the brunt of climate change’s most devastating consequences—from unbearably hot summers to increasingly dangerous and frequent storms.
During storms, incarcerated people have to contend with sudden evacuations, power outages, and limited communication with their loved ones.
A Florida mother told The Appeal that before her son was evacuated, he called and said he didn’t know where they were being taken and they were not allowed to bring anything with them.
She said he and others from Jefferson, a prison in Monticello, were evacuated to an “absolutely filthy” unit. The water from the faucets was brown and they were not provided bottled water or medication, she said. The men have since been moved back to Jefferson, she said. (She asked The Appeal not to publish her name to protect her son from retaliation.)
“I feel like they treat our loved ones as cattle that they just herd from one place to the other, and they do it until they die,” she said.
The Appeal has reached out to state corrections agencies and county jails in some of the impacted states to ask if their facilities have running water and electricity, as well as whether evacuations occurred. While some facilities were not affected, several North Carolina prisons lost water and power. At least two states—Florida and South Carolina—have deployed incarcerated workers to help clean up the storm’s debris. In both states, the majority of prison jobs are unpaid.
Below are the answers we’ve received so far about the storm’s impact on correctional facilities throughout the South. We’ll continue to update our list as responses come in.
Florida
Florida Department of Corrections:
In response to Hurricane Helene, FDC staff deployed a rapid mobilization of resources and manpower to secure our facilities, coordinate the safe evacuation and relocation of over 4,000 inmates, and repair critical damage post storm.
Inmates are housed in hardened dorms built to withstand high winds. This was done to ensure the highest level of safety and security for those under our care and custody. The facilities structures remain intact, with minor damages, and all inmates are safe and secure.
Please see our social media for the most recent updates.
Florida Politics reported that Gov. Ron DeSantis said that “low-security inmates” are helping with hurricane clean-up. He said that it would “cost us way more money if you had to do that through some of these private contractors.”
Citrus County Detention Facility (CoreCivic facility): “The Citrus County Detention Facility did not experience any major issues as a result of the hurricane. Thanks to our dedicated staff’s storm preparedness, we had no staffing shortages, currently have electricity, avoided flooding, and did not need to evacuate anyone in our care.”
Hillsborough County Jails: The jails have not lost power, flooded, or been understaffed as a result of the hurricane. No detainees have been evacuated.
Manatee County Jail: The jail did not lose power, flood, or face staff shortages as a result of the hurricane. No detainees have been evacuated.
Georgia
In addition to damage from Helene, a second catastrophe hit Atlanta-area residents on Sunday when a fire broke out at BioLab, a chemical plant that state and federal agencies have repeatedly cited for safety violations, including four other fires in the past 20 years. The fire prompted shelter-in-place and evacuation orders.
Georgia DOC:
Please note that our facilities experienced the same or similar issues experienced by citizens and businesses across the state. Some of our facilities temporarily lost phone/internet service and experienced a temporary loss of power. Those still without have running generators.
No prisons were flooded; the weather did not affect staffing, and no state prisons were evacuated. Any facilities who experienced problems with water have been supplemented with both potable and non-potable water tankers, along with bottled water.
Washington SP is operating on a generator with no issues. It is accurate that offenders are receiving hot and cold sandwiches and caloric intake requirements are being met.
According to the Georgia Department of Corrections Facebook page, visitation has been cancelled at several prisons for the weekend of Oct. 5–6.
Clayton County Jail: The jail did not lose power, flood, or face staffing shortages as a result of the hurricane. No detainees were evacuated.
DeKalb County Jail: “Neither Hurricane Helene nor the BioLab fire have affected operations or the well-being of incarcerated individuals at the DeKalb County jail.”
Fulton County Sheriff’s Office: “The jail was unaffected by the hurricane.” The fire did not affect detainees’ access to the outdoors because they are never permitted outside.
Rockdale County Jail: A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office told The Appeal by email that the jail did not lose power or flood, and has running water.
On Sunday, in response to the BioLab fire, the Sheriff’s Office evacuated approximately 186 detainees to the Gwinnett County Jail, according to the spokesperson. Approximately 17 “chronic/medical” detainees were taken to Newton County Jail, which uses NaphCare, the same medical provider as Rockdale County.
“This was done as a precautionary measure,” she wrote to The Appeal. “We did not know the plume’s direction, so we wanted to evacuate before there was any issue at the facility.”
There have been no complications or complaints from staff or detainees in response to the BioLab fire, according to the spokesperson.
“We are constantly getting EPA updates and monitoring outside conditions related to wind direction and the direction of the smoke plume,” she wrote.
North Carolina
North Carolina Department of Adult Correction: On Sept. 30, a spokesperson told The Appeal by email: “We currently have five facilities without water service. Bottled water has been brought in. All of our facilities have generators. Several are running on generator power until utility service is restored.”
On Oct. 2, the spokesperson told The Appeal that: “We’re working on evacuating facilities that will be long-term without water and power.” (The Appeal has asked which facilities are currently without water and/or power, and will update once we have received a response.)
According to the corrections agency’s website “reaching some facilities by phone may be difficult or impossible.” Communications via tablet in Western North Carolina prisons “may also be affected.” Visiting at prisons “in storm affected areas of Western NC is suspended until further notice.”
The website states that supplies of bottled water are being provided to locations where water service is not restored, and that “all facilities have a generator in the event power is lost.”
Three correctional facilities have been evacuated: Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution, Spruce Pine, Black Mountain Substance Abuse Treatment Center for Women, Black Mountain, and Western Correctional Center for Women, Swannanoa. Locations of incarcerated persons will appear on the NCDAC Offender Public Information database approximately 24 hours after relocation, according to the agency’s website.
Ashe County Detention Center: “We were on generator for about 3 hours on Friday and have not lost power since. Our detention center did not flood. Yes we have running water.We are not understaffed, we had several off duty officers that came in to help just in case we needed them. No inmates have been evacuated.”
South Carolina
South Carolina Department of Corrections: According to the department’s Twitter page, visits were canceled on Sunday at several prisons. On Wednesday, the agency posted: “SCDC staff and inmates are hard at work clearing roads near the S.C./Ga. border as part of the statewide response to #HurricaneHelene. #SCStrong #WeAreCorrections.”
SCDC staff and inmates are hard at work clearing roads near the S.C./Ga. border as part of the statewide response to #HurricaneHelene. #SCStrong #WeAreCorrections pic.twitter.com/hmHYC3xw5S
— S.C. Department of Corrections (@SCDCNews) October 2, 2024
Spartanburg, South Carolina Sheriff’s Office: The jail has not lost power, flooded, or been understaffed as a result of the hurricane. No detainees have been evacuated.
If you have additional information to share about the impact of Hurricane Helene on incarcerated people or conditions at any of the agencies listed in this story, please email tips@theappeal.org.