Rescue and recovery efforts continue across the south for states as they deal with the aftermath of hurricanes Milton and Helene.
Here is a roundup of some of the news over the weekend affecting institutional and commercial facilities.
More than 550 men jailed at Mountain View Correctional Institution in Spruce Pines, North Carolina, were trapped for nearly a week before the facility was eventually evacuated on Oct. 3 following Hurricane Helene.
Inmates’ cells were without lights and running water as toilets were inoperable, forcing inmates to use plastic bags to relieve themselves, inmates and their relatives told The Intercept website. A spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections told the site that minor roof leaks occurred but resulted in no flooding, but that water and electrical utilities were severely damaged from the storm.
North Carolina evacuated 2,000 incarcerated people from five facilities in the western part of the state because of the conditions.
President Joe Biden visited St. Petersburg, Florida, over the weekend in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton and announced $612 million in assistance for Department of Energy projects to improve the resilience of electric grids in areas affected by the hurricanes.
The grid assistance funding was on top of Biden’s Major Disaster Declaration for Florida. The National Public Radio report said the declaration provides federal funds for residents and businesses to use for housing and repairs and low-cost loans to rebuild. Ten Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery centers have also been opened.
Dave Lubach is executive editor for the facilities market.
