North Carolina prisoners endured nearly a week of flooding, filth and neglect after Hurricane Helene
More than 550 men in a North Carolina prison were left trapped in flooded cells without lights, running water, or contact with the outside world for five days following Hurricane Helene.
Schuyler Mitchell reports for The Intercept.
In short:
- Inmates at Mountain View Correctional Institution in North Carolina lived in flooded cells without flushing toilets from September 27 to October 2.
- Prisoners were forced to defecate in plastic bags and reported receiving minimal food and water, while power outages left them in the dark.
- Family members expressed anger at the slow and confusing evacuation process, particularly as neighboring prisons were relocated earlier.
Key quote:
“My husband told me this morning he’s going to have to go see a therapist because of the things that happened in there. He said, 'We thought we were going to die there. We didn’t think anybody was going to come back for us.'”
— Bridge Gentry, wife of inmate at Mountain View Correctional Institution
Why this matters:
Natural disasters like hurricanes expose how incarcerated people are vulnerable to inadequate care and neglect. The prison system's slow response to critical conditions during Hurricane Helene raises concerns about the humane treatment of prisoners during emergencies.
