When a natural disaster strikes the question families ask immediately is whether their incarcerated loved one is safe. Facilities do not always communicate proactively during emergencies and the information gap can be agonizing. This section covers what happens to inmates during hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters, how facilities handle evacuations and transfers, how families can get information about their loved one's safety and location during an emergency, and what rights inmates have during emergency conditions. Understanding the protocols facilities follow during disasters helps families know what to expect and where to look for information when normal communication channels are disrupted. The answers here draw on real experience navigating the system during emergencies when official information is slow and families need practical guidance fast. See also our sections on Inmate Transfer and Inmate Search.
Subject: Emergencies - natural disasters
During peak fire season, California inmate firefighters can be deployed for weeks at a time without returning to their base camp. The California Inmate Firefighter Program sends participants out with Cal Fire crews to actively fight wildfires, and when a major fire is burning, the deployment follows the fire, not a calendar.
Shorter fire responses might last a few days, but during the heaviest part of fire season, when multiple large fires are burning simultaneously across the state, an inmate on...
Read moreSubject: Emergencies - natural disasters
You can call the chaplain or the unit team secretary and get a "humanitarian update"
Subject: Emergencies - natural disasters
Almost all in-person visitation is suspended until March 30, 2020. The inmate's movement, in many cases, is restricted so it is easy for them to enforce any type of quarantines necessary in the event that an inmate would contract Covid-19.
Subject: Emergencies - natural disasters
Yes, you can call the facility and speak with the unit secretary, case manager or counselor.
Subject: Emergencies - natural disasters
Inmates in hurricane areas are transported days ahead of the storm making landfall. In my case, we were in a federal camp in Miami FL when a couple hurricanes hit Dade County. They loaded all the inmates onto buses (shackled) and driven to downtown Miami where the Federal Detention Center is. This is a tall structure in the middle of all the government buildings. It is more like a skyscraper for inmates which can and did withstand several major storms...
Read moreSubject: Emergencies - natural disasters
The documentation you have is exactly what you need, and using it proactively is the right move. Request a meeting with your probation officer as soon as possible, bring every document you have, FEMA assistance records, damage assessments, proof of displacement, financial statements, and anything else that demonstrates the financial impact of the disaster. Do not wait for the violation process to unfold without getting your side of the story in front of the right person first.
Probation officers have more...
Read moreSubject: Emergencies - natural disasters
The phone restrictions would be limited to the normal phone procedures - the lines get longer during these times so frequency and length are cut due to heavy demand. The only issue might be that if the inmates get moved to a safer location their commissary/phone account might not immediately move with them. They would still be able to call collect.
