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Florida Has Evacuated Nearly 3,000 Inmates From Prisons Damaged By Hurricane Michael

Family members of those incarcerated had described dire conditions inside one of the facilities, which sustained major roof damage during the storm.

A collapsed welcome sign at the entrance to the Gulf Correctional Institution. (Talal Ansari )

October 15, 2018

By Zahra Hirji - BuzzFeed

Authorities have evacuated nearly 3,000 inmates from two Florida correctional facilities badly damaged during Hurricane Michael, four days after the storm made its destructive landfall in the state.

The Florida Department of Corrections said Saturday that 2,600 prisoners were evacuated from the Gulf Correctional Institution and its annex due to "significant structural damage" caused by Michael. Another 305 prisoners were also evacuated from a part of Calhoun Correctional Institution for similar reasons.

"The evacuated facilities sustained significant damage to roofs and security infrastructure," the department said in a statement. "Staff and inmates at these facilities were not injured during the storm. All inmates were secure and had access to food and drinking water through the duration of the storm."

The Gulf Correctional Institution sustained major damage when Hurricane Michael hit, making landfall about 30 miles away from the facility. Gulf Correctional, located on the Florida Panhandle in Wewahitchka, had not been evacuated before Michael, and instead took in inmates from other corrections facilities that the state had shut down for the storm.

State officials did not respond last week to repeated questions about damage to the Gulf Correctional Institution. But during a visit to the site Friday, BuzzFeed News observed that the roofs of at least two of the facility’s buildings were badly damaged, and a structure outside the prison fence — as well as the facility’s own brick-and-concrete signage — had completely collapsed.

Family members of inmates and employees at the facility said their loved ones had confirmed the damage and described chaotic and deteriorating conditions, including destroyed dormitories, power outages, and limited supplies of food and water.

“They are not handing out bottled waters. [They were] told to drink tap water at their own risk,” said Jennifer Oneal, recounting a conversation she had Friday with her boyfriend, who is an inmate at Gulf Correctional Institution. 

In its statement Sunday, the Florida Department of Corrections said that “evacuations took place as soon as the roads leading to the facilities were passable and safe for inmate transport.”