() There is no formal hurricane plan in place for the Florida detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to the Miami Herald.
The outlet reports that in July, it requested “the completed hurricane/disaster plan for Alligator Alcatraz” from the Florida Department of Emergency Management.” That request was met with an email from a department spokesperson this week which read, “There are no responsive records for this request.”
The department’s response to the Miami Herald comes less than a week after Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a press conference at the detention center, during which he was questioned on the facility’s storm preparedness.
“You know people are like ‘what happens if a hurricane hit,’ and I just think to myself this ain’t our first rodeo. We know in Florida anything is susceptible to have to be evacuated,” DeSantis said. “There is not a single place in the state that you’d be totally immune from having any impacts of hurricanes.”
DeSantis also pointed to past response efforts with correction facilities during major storms, adding that the center was equipped to handle Category 1 or 2 hurricane conditions and that accommodations would be made for bigger storms. According to Kevin Guthrie, the executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency, evacuations will take place for categories 3, 4 and 5.
“I promise you that the hurricane guys have got the hurricane stuff covered,” Guthrie said.
Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Fla) shared the Miami Herald’s report on her Instagram, having previously voiced concerns about conditions at the detention center. However, Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Fla., is more confident in the center’s storm preparedness, having told CBS News Miami in early July that “the tents can withstand a strong Category 2 hurricane,” adding that “this is where Florida really excels.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30.
