Society usually comes together to help those in need during a natural disaster, but it failed when it came to helping prisoners in Texas and Florida as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma hit their states. While many witnessed how heart-breaking it was to leave people and animals alone to face the storm, the government left over 4,000 prisoners to wait it out while trapped in their jail cells.
It is unfair for the government to disregard the thousands of people serving time in their facilities just because they have committed crimes in their past. Many have family and loved ones who would hope to hear from them or see them again, so it is inconsiderate for those incarcerated to not receive acknowledgment.
Once the Federal Bureau of Prisons stated it did not intend to evacuate its facilities in the path of the storms, surviving was flipping a coin and hoping to get lucky. Especially since Hurricane Irma reached a Category 5, which is the highest category for how violent a storm and its’ winds can get.
As water continued to rise in their power-operated cells, inmates were locked inside. The power went out, and they were given little to no attention as their situation got worse.
“When the storm actually came through, we went through the experience of the power being shut off, to where everything was completely in disarray. No lights, no electricity. The generators couldn’t even function where I was at. After that, hours later, the water was cut off. I don’t know how, I don’t know why,” said Sherrard Williams, a 38-year-old who is serving life in Kenedy, Texas for being party to a murder, according to The New Yorker.
In Beaumont, Texas, where the storm hit the hardest, guards even struggled to show up to work. This was on top of already a loss in electricity, water supply and structural flooding.
The circumstances that inmates faced were barbaric. In Beaumont’s institution, there were reports that prisoners had to find different ways to use the bathroom, such as using plastic bags as their toilet so they could use the toilet water for drinking.
Due to these conditions, The Federal Bureau of Prisons should have had a backup plan such as easy access to fresh water in case of an emergency. The government had helicopters that flew across the state to rescue those most affected by the storm. They had the resources to drop off fresh water; they just decided not to.
Even animals were placed as a priority during the hurricanes. As Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, people waited with their pets outside of shelters that wouldn’t allow animals, but within a day that policy changed. According to a report, a top elected official made clear both humans and their animals could find shelter at the city’s evacuation centers.
By leaving the incarcerated in this position, it shows that even the lives of animals are valued more than prisoners during natural disasters.
The hurricanes won’t be the last time prisoners will be disregarded as actual members of society. In these types of situations, preparations need to be made to show sympathy, love and compassion to everyone who needs it when disaster strikes.
