PITTSBURG COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) A family was rescued after being trapped inside their home for over a week after a tornado tore through their county.
The tornado damage left roads impassable across Pittsburg County, Oklahoma.
A mother and her three children were stuck inside their home, and with road crews already stretched thin, county officials turned to social media and asked for help.
That’s where Mack Alford Correctional Center Warden, Margaret Green, saw the need and acted quickly.
“I thought, let me see if I can get a work crew,” said Green.
Within hours, nearly a dozen minimum security inmates volunteered, eager to help and maybe find a sense of purpose in the process.
“All a man needs to do is atone, and they’ve given us a chance to do that,” said Brandon Boring, an inmate. “If you let a man atone, we can actually go back and be great members of society.”
Inmates who meet strict behavior and security requirements are allowed to participate in these work programs, and they are always closely supervised.
“There is a criteria they have to meet to get to work out in the public,” said Lt. David Easley, with Mack Alford Correctional Center.
The inmate crew cleared a path in just hours, a job that would have taken the county days.
“It’s an army of orange. This one little section we’ve been watching, I’m really proud,” said Green.
For the county, the help was invaluable.
“We are highly appreciative for them to come help us,” said J.B. Sharp, county road foreman.
For the inmates, it was a chance to show who they are becoming.
“If it gives back to the community, man, I love it,” said Boring.
Department of Corrections officials said the work crew program supports public infrastructure and community recovery efforts across Oklahoma while giving inmates opportunities to give back and rebuild their lives.
