Hurricane Michael, the second large storm to hit the so-called United States this hurricane season touched down today on the Florida Panhandle, after receiving considerably less press than Hurricane Florence that poor, working-class, and Native communities are still attempting to recover from.
The storm assault comes directly after the publishing of a series of reports on climate change, the first coming from within the Trump administration itself, which argued that it was unrealistic to think that governments could end climate change, and that an end to the use of fossil fuels would negatively impact the economy. Thus, the report, which was written about in the Washington Post, argues that instead nothing should be done, and even argues that fossil fuel production should even increase in some instances.
Alt-Right troll Ian Miles Cheong stands by his billionaire.
Another report issued by the UN, concluded that unless drastic action was taken to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030, then catastrophic climate change would be unavoidable. Trump responded to these claims by stating that he had read other reports that concluded the environment was “fabulous.” As if on cue, the pundit class, including Alt-Right trolls on social media, began pushing the claim that attempts to stop global warming were simply a ploy to usher in “communism,” and should thus be ignored.
Landfall of #HurricaneMichael is imminent. THIS IS A WORST CASE SCENARIO for the Florida Panhandle!! Listen to your local emergency officials. Stay Inside & Survive!" –NWS Director Dr. Louis Uccellini @NWSDirector pic.twitter.com/EMSZbMaHwW
— National Weather Service (@NWS) October 10, 2018
But as Hurricane Michael has shown, the future is already here, as even the National Weather Service writing on Twitter proclaimed, “THIS IS THE WORSE CASE SCENARIO.” And as with Katrina and Florence, the storms also threaten to impact nuclear power plants, flood streams and rivers with hog waste and coal runoff, and devastate poor communities hit hard by previous disasters, be they economic or ecological. In the face of this reality, governments around the world show that they are not capable of saving us from the coming collapse, and in the case of the United States, openly exclaim that they intend to actually make things worse.
Phone Zap for Prisoners Left Behind In the Storm
From Fight Toxic Prisons:
Hurricane Michael, now a Category 4, is slated to be the worst hurricane to hit Florida in over 100 years and the the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) refuses to evacuate 15 state prisons in mandatory evacuation zones.
We need your help putting pressure on each state to ensure the horrors that happened at FCI Beaumont during Hurricane Harvey don’t happen again. This tactic proved effective just last month when North Carolina and Virginia evacuated prisons ahead of Hurricane Florence!
Demands –
- Immediate evacuation of all prisoners from every State Prison in the Mandatory Evacuation zone.
- Stockpiling of Water and Food at every facility that may be impacted by power outages.
Numbers to Call –
Governor Rick Scott
Phone- (850) 488-7146
FDC Region 1 Director Angela Gordon ([email protected])
Phone – (850) 627-5511
FDC Region 2 Director Eric V. Hummel ([email protected])
Phone – (386) 496-6000
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Southeastern Regional Office- (678) 686-1200
No word on: FCI Marianna, FPC Pensacola, FCI Tallahassee
When you get a response use #EvacuateFLPrisoners and tweet @FightToxicPrisons & @iwoc_gnv! Numbers aren’t working? Tweet us with number updates too!
If you can, record the phone call and email it to us. If it turns out they’re lying, we’ll have voice-recorded evidence. (Email [email protected])
Also, we don’t trust ANY Department of Corrections. Per Jailhouse Lawyers Speak’s advice, “If you know any prisoners in this storm path, it’s important to tell them to fill up any containers or bags with water NOW!! Prisons are notorious for not giving adequate drinking water to prisoners if any at all after the water is contaminated.”
Still Have Energy? Tweet the link to this post to any journalists and news outlets you can think of!
List of Prisons That Haven’t Evacuated in Mandatory Evacuation Zones:
Bay County
Bay Correctional Facility
Phone- (850) 769-1455
Citrus County
Citrus County Detention Facility
Phone- (352) 527-3332
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management: (352) 746-6555
Dixie County
Cross City Corrections Department and East Unit
Phone- (352) 498-4444
Gadsden County
Gadsden Correctional Facility: (850) 875-9701
Quincy Annex: (850) 627-5400
Gulf County
Gulf Correctional Institution Annex
Phone- (850) 639-1000
Jackson County
Jackson County Corrections: (850) 482-9651
Liberty Correctional Institution: (850) 643-9400
Apalachee Correctional Institution, East Unit: Phone: (850) 718-0688
Chaplain: (850) 718-0713
Jefferson County
Jefferson Correctional Institution
Phone: (850) 342-0500
- UPDATE 8:40am EST- The wife of a prisoner reports that “My husband is in Jefferson CI and they sandbagged all the entrances, they will leave the phones on all day today for them to keep in contact with us.” She is advising him to tell everyone he knows to fill up anything they can with water.
Levy County
Levy County Jail
Phone: (352) 486-5121
Okaloosa County
Okaloosa Correctional Institution and Work Camp
Phone- (850) 682-0931
Taylor County
Taylor Correctional Institution and Work Camp
Phone- (850) 838-4000
Wakulla County
Wakulla Correctional Institution
Phone- (850) 410-1895
Walton County
Walton Correctional Institution
Phone- (850) 951-1300
Franklin County
Franklin County Jail Facility (Right on Coast) Phone: +1 850-670-8500
- Update: 10:00am Pacific Time- Mr. Summerhill told us that prisoners were evacuated yesterday, and that they have been split between Liberty (which is still in an evacuation zone) and Tallahassee
Support Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Efforts
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Florida People’s Advocacy is happy to announce that it is opening its doors for disaster assistance during and after hurricane Michael.
We are partnering with The New Florida Majority and the Dream Defenders to provide shelter to those most at risk and vulnerable during the storm. We will have generators, water, food and plenty of beds.
We are located in Tallahassee’s historic Frenchtown Community at 603 North MLK Jr Blvd. If you know someone in need please message us here or text 850-345-0018.