Three Texas prisons evacuate for Hurricane Harvey

Texas Department of Criminal Justice offenders being transported from Stringfellow Unit in Rosharon, TX due to Hurricane Harvey. Texas Department of Criminal Justice offenders being transported from Stringfellow Unit in Rosharon, TX due to Hurricane Harvey. Photo: Submitted Photo: Submitted Image 1 of / 237 Caption Close Three Texas prisons evacuate for Hurricane Harvey 1 / 237 Back to Gallery

Around 4,500 inmates at three Texas prisons are set to be evacuated in light of heavy rain sparked by Hurricane Harvey, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.

The Ramsey, Terrell and Stringfellow Units in Rosharon will all be emptied Saturday as the Brazos River continues to rise near the Brazoria County facilities.

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The prisoners will be loaded onto TDCJ buses headed for East Texas prisons, accompanied by corrections officers and other staff who showed up to help with the evacuation.

The inmates won't be allowed to have visits at their new locations, but they will be able to call home.

In anticipation of the storm, TDCJ activated an emergency command center in Huntsville on Thursday, and it's been in operation round-the-clock since then.

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Ex-prisoners on supervised release in affected areas were told to report to evacuation addresses, and high-risk parolees were moved to facilities out of the area, TDCJ said in a release.

Additional food and water have been sent to the units expecting an influx of prisoners, and sandbags have been sent to the affected units.

Inmate families may contact TDCJ's 24-hour hotline at (936) 437-4927 or 1-844-476-1289 for information about a specific inmate.

"This is something that we prepare for each year," Executive Director Bryan Collier said. "Our command center is operating around the clock and we stand ready."