Trapped in an Evacuation: Disgraceful Treatment of Incarcerated People During Hurricane Ian

By Sonora Bostian-Posner

Hurricane Ian made landfall in central Florida on Wednesday, September 28. Many areas were devastated by the Category 4 hurricane, with widespread flooding and power outages. Citizens of the most impacted areas, including Fort Myers, were ordered to evacuate.

But several citizens were unable to. According to the Miami New Times, people incarcerated in a Fort Myers jail were kept inside as the hurricane made landfall. Why? Because the sheriff’s office refused to evacuate them.

This disgusting lack of regard for human life and safety is appalling, but sadly, not surprising. Our prison system routinely fails incarcerated individuals with poor building conditions, lack of air conditioning or heat, sickening food, and restricted access to basic healthcare and dental care. The fact that one office could subject more than 400 individuals to life-threatening danger because of a refusal to evacuate is one symptom of this dangerous problem.

The sheriff’s office told the Miami New Times that all incarcerated individuals were safe and that they’d been moved to the highest floor of the jail during the storm — likely meager and dubious comfort to the people in prison and their loved ones. Behind the decision not to evacuate, no matter what the sheriff claims, is the conviction by the people in charge that people in prison have forfeited the right to be safe.

Both FAMM and our partner organization Florida Cares will be monitoring and reporting on how other prisons and jails in Florida fared during the hurricane. In the meantime, if you want to help us improve the treatment of incarcerated individuals, visit FAMM’s Action Center and see what you can do.

Sonora Bostian-Posner is FAMM’s Director of Digital Communications.