Prisons brace for Hurricane Dorian. One boards up. And no, you can’t leave a day early

The woman says her fiancé is serving time at a Central Florida prison. She says he is due to be released from the prison on Sunday. The prison system’s inmate database confirms that release date.

But with a monster hurricane barreling toward the state, and highways filled with fleeing Floridians, she asked the prison if she could please come by and pick him up a day early.

Nope.

But if Sunday is inconvenient because of the storm, we’ll make sure he has accommodations, she was told.

The uncertain path of Hurricane Dorian is a major concern for inmates, their loved ones and the prison system.

Asked about the situation above, Michelle Glady, spokeswoman for the prison system, sent an email late Friday stating: “When a hurricane is approaching, department staff closely monitor all inmates with upcoming release dates to address their individual release plans and make every effort to ensure inmates are released on their scheduled date.”

Being in a Florida prison is never fun, nor is having a loved one locked up, but it is especially dicey when a hurricane is on the horizon.

Tomoka Correctional Institution sits near Daytona Beach, not far from the coast. A former corrections officer who asked not to be named called it poorly maintained and badly understaffed. On Friday, hurricane-ready boarded-up windows were making the prison hot and damp for the men inside, according to family members.

Warden Chris Lane said the boards, which were put up on Thursday, are part of the necessary preparation before Hurricane Dorian. He said the boards are designed with air gaps and that air flow is normal.

But family members who had heard from the men in Tomoka said the conditions were uncomfortably hot. One woman said her husband described it as “a 400-degree-oven.”

Cathy, who asked not to be identified by her full name for fear of retaliation against her spouse, said the floors were wet from the heat. People were getting sick, especially those with medical conditions like her husband, who is a diabetic, she said.

“They don’t treat animals at the shelter like this,” she said.

Glady said “ventilation and cooling systems remain operational.”

As Hurricane Dorian moved toward Florida, putting much of the state in its cone of uncertainty, the Florida Department of Corrections began providing extra food and water to all facilities, according to Glady.

Glady said she could not comment — because of security reasons — on whether any of the prisons would evacuated.

During Hurricane Michael last year, at least two Panhandle prisons were shuttered after damage to the roof and security systems. Nearly 3,000 inmates were evacuated, primarily from Gulf Correctional, after the storm hit.

Some inmates have returned to Gulf Annex this summer, but Glady could not immediately say how many.

With hurricanes, people with loved ones in prison often worry about how safe the inmates are, if they have proper supplies and if they’re comfortable. People take to social media to post word when visitation is canceled — as was the case this weekend — or when there are evacuation rumors, trying to inform themselves while FDC keeps a closed mouth for security reasons.

Nina, who also asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, said her husband is an inmate at Tomoka. He said correctional officers have let him and the other men take more frequent showers to cool down because of the trapped heat from the boards.

She’s thankful for that, but worries about all the other Florida inmates, especially those in facilities close to the water.

“We’ve experience from Irma and Michael, we know which camps really do not do well with the water and they need to move those guys,” she said. “Even without a direct hit you’re going to have a lot of water.”

Glady said the prison system, in conjunction with “communication partners” JPay and Securus, is providing all inmates with five free e-stamps (no expiration date) and two free 15-minute phone calls, the latter to be used between Saturday Aug. 31 and Thursday Sept. 5.

This story has been updated with additional information from the Florida Department of Corrections.

This story was originally published August 30, 2019 at 7:26 PM.