Setup takes about a minute on your end. You sign up, InmateAid identifies the best number for the facility, and the number is issued. The inmate then needs to add it to their approved call list at the facility, which takes a few days to process through the carrier. From start to first call, budget about a week.
Whether it is worth it for a temporary hurricane transfer depends on one thing: how often you talk. If you are on the phone regularly, even a short-term placement at a facility with higher per-call rates can add up quickly. The savings on each call start immediately once the number is active, and there is no contract or long-term commitment involved.
The other thing worth knowing is that when your inmate gets moved back to their home facility after the hurricane situation is resolved, InmateAid will update the number to the new location at no charge. You do not pay again, you do not lose the service, and you do not have to do anything beyond letting InmateAid know about the move. Email aid@inmateaid.com with the updated facility information and the team handles the rest.
That policy makes the temporary transfer question easier to answer. You are not locking into something that only works for one facility. The service travels with your inmate and adjusts as their location changes, which for someone whose placement is in flux due to a hurricane is exactly the kind of flexibility that makes the monthly fee worth it.
If you are talking every day, sign up now. If calls are infrequent, the math may not justify it for a short stay.