Several Florida prisons and jails refuse to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton | Hurricane Milton

Several prisons and jails in Florida are refusing to evacuate their residents ahead of Hurricane Milton, despite being in the storm's evacuation zone.

The Manatee County Jail, which houses 1,200 inmates and is located on the southeast side of Tampa Bay, in the path of the hurricane that barreled toward the prison across the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, will not be evacuated, a prison official said Jail told Newsweek on Tuesday.

The prison is in the Zone A evacuation area, the outlet further reported. Those in Zone A could face a storm surge of up to 11 feet and should evacuate first, according to Manatee County's evacuation guide.

“We do not issue evacuation orders lightly,” said Manatee County Public Safety Director Jodie Fiske, Newsweek reported. “Milton is expected to cause more storm surge than (Hurricane) Helene. So if you had stayed during Helene and were lucky, I wouldn’t push my luck with this particular system.”

Hurricane Helene hit northwest Florida near Tallahassee less than two weeks ago and impacts remain massive in the state and many states further north, particularly North Carolina.

But an official at the Manatee County Jail told Newsweek that the jail was reportedly stocked with sandbags and other supplies and residents would be moved to the top floor of the jail in the event of flooding. The Guardian was unable to reach a prison representative for comment.

Several prisons and jails in hurricane-affected states have so far failed to evacuate incarcerated people during a natural disaster, despite being in a mandatory evacuation zone.

In South Carolina, at least two prisons were not evacuated during Hurricane Florence in 2018. “In the past it was safer to leave them there,” a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Corrections said, the BBC reported.

During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, hundreds of detainees were left at the Orleans Parish Jail for four days during the deadly storm. The detainees remained locked in their cells amid rising floodwaters and without food or water.

Other Florida prisons and jails have also said they will not be evacuated during Milton. According to 10 Tampa Bay, a local outlet, correctional facilities in Sarasota, Hernando, Pasco, Charlotte and Lee counties will also remain open during the storm.

Family members of the detainees are concerned for the safety of their loved ones.

Julie Reimer, a Florida resident, told 10 Tampa Bay that she has relatives at both the Charlotte Correctional Facility and the Hardee Correctional Facility.

Reimer, who is identified by her maiden name out of fear of retaliation, said officials at both prisons told her they would not be evacuated. “They said their buildings could withstand a storm like that,” Reimer told 10 Tampa Bay. “They seem to think this storm is not serious.”

Reimer told 10 Tampa Bay: “When my son was convicted, he wasn't given a death sentence,” she said.