Hurricane Harvey: Inmates From 3 Facilities South Of Houston Evacuated

ROSHARON, TX — Inmates in three state prisons south of Houston will be evacuated as the Brazos River continues to rise due to the rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall as a category 4 storm and while the storm has been downgraded, forecasters are warning of devastating conditions from rainfall that will pound the state well into next week.

Officials with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice announced that the Ramsey, Terrell, and Stringfellow Units in Rosharon will be evacuated. Authorities said the evacuations would begin Saturday morning and would affect about 4,500 inmates.

The offenders are transported by department buses and and are accompanied by correctional officers and other staff members who have reported to work to assist in the evacuation. The inmates will be taken to facilities in East Texas. The inmates will not be available for visits but will be able to use the offender telephone system.

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

Photo by David J. Phillip/Associated Press