By admin 
Earthquakes, wildfires and flooding can threaten the safety of millions of people across California — including prison inmates.
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In 2025, a total of at institutions across California, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations. That number was projected to reach 89,015 inmates in 2026.
Federal prisons in California held a total of 11,201 inmates as of Thursday, July 16, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said.
Natural disasters pose a risk to many of California’s 31 state prisons and 16 federal correctional institutions.
California saw a total of 8,232 wildfires in 2025, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
These blazes burned more than 500,000 acres of land, destroyed 16,000-plus structures and resulted in 31 deaths, Cal Fire said.
So far in 2026, a total of 3,750 wildfires have collectively scorched more than 144,000 acres.
California experienced nearly two dozen “significant” earthquakes of magnitude 3.3 or higher in 2025, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with nine notable quakes reported so far in 2026.
Are California prisons prepared tor natural disasters? What happens to inmates in the case of major wildfires or other events?
Here’s what to know:
Are California prisons prepared for national disasters?
In 2025, the California Office of the Inspector General audited the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s
Investigators also completed an in-depth review of preparedness at three prisons: Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco and San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
“California is the most disaster-prone state in the nation, vulnerable to wildfires, floods and earthquakes across its diverse geography,” the audit stated.
Despite this, investigators found that California’s prisons “are not adequately prepared to respond to emergencies posed by natural disasters,” California Inspector General Amarik K. Singh wrote in an open letter to Jeffrey Macomber, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, on May 1.
Although most state prisons had emergency plans, correctional facilities were under-equipped when it came to getting inmates to safety, the report found.
The state corrections department was “unable to evacuate the incarcerated population and staff at most prisons within the first critical 72 hours of an emergency,” Singh said, and prisons “do not have specific plans to externally evacuate the incarcerated population.”
Other issues included prison overcrowding and a limited transportation fleet with high-mileage vehicles.
Rather than transport inmates to outside correctional facilities, the Inspector General’s Office concluded, most state prisons plan to move inmates to different locations within their grounds if disaster strikes.
What are wildfire risks for state prisons?
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have fire departments to help reduce damages and deaths.
The agency maintains 23 fire houses, 130 fire personnel and 150 inmate firefighters that protect prisons and mitigate wildfires.
Evacuations are less likely during wildfires because aid is typically used to stop the fire, evacuating inmates takes a long time to organize, and the prison population can face harm while being transferred, according to the 2025 audit by the California Office of the Inspector General.
As of 2025, California had not evacuated a prison due to wildfire risks.
The report found that wildfires are becoming more common “due to factors such as climate change, drought, and population growth in fire-prone areas.”
Pelican Bay State Prison’s fire chief told California’s inspector general in 2025 that the greatest threat to prisons during wildfires is the smoke.
When a wildfire spread near the Crescent City correctional facility in 2023, Pelican Bay suffered power outages.
Although the prison had an emergency plan in place, it was not completed until seven days after a command post was set up. The incarcerated population wasn’t evacuated.
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The Pelican Bay fire chief told investigators that the best option for prisons to enable during wildfires is to shelter in place.
How does extreme heat impact prisons in California?
Most California correctional institutions “ based on how the facilities were originally designed, the sate Corrections & Rehabilitation Department said.
Most were built before 2000 … when the comfort level of the incarcerated population and staff was not a consideration or priority,” the state agency said.
In many cases, buildings were constructed from concrete, which retains heat overnight and transfers it into cells.
In 31 prisons across the state, “heat activations” occur in three stages when the outdoor temperature reaches 90 degrees or higher.
Steps include returning at-risk inmates to housing units, monitoring for signs of heat-related illnesses and implementing cooling and hydration procedures.
State prisons use air conditioners, evaporative cooling and ventilation systems during extreme heat waves.
In 2024, the department held 182 Stage 1 heat activations, 86 State 2 activations and 46 Stage 3 activations.
Prisons may also move their populations to different areas such as gyms and churches on the grounds and give additional access to showers and cooling stations.
When are prisons required to respond to disasters?
State prisons in California are not required to come up with full evacuation plans until 72 hours after a natural disaster hits, under regulations for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
U.S. Department of Prisons require each federal institution to have beforehand, with some management layouts specifically directed towards weather conditions in a prisons area.
A total of 21 California prisons were labeled high risk from earthquakes in 2024.
Since earthquakes can’t be predicted, the Inspector General said that the three-day timeframe is enough time to have a proper evacuation plan in place.
In the past, prisons failed to respond within that window when encountering safety risks.
In 2023, two California prisons — California State Prison, Corcoran and the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran — were at risk of flooding, prompting evacuations of inmates.
State corrections officials took weeks to finalize a plan, which consisted of incarcerated people to be transferred to other facilities within 11 to 14 days.
Which policies protect inmates during natural disasters?
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, some natural disasters at prisons.
During lockdowns, inmates typically stay inside their cells. Changes in operations may close general areas or restrict inmates’ movements and activities.
“Loss of power, loss of radio or emergency communications, malfunctioning security cameras, or technical issues with locking systems leaving areas of the institution vulnerable” are all considered critical infrastructure failures where lockdowns or modified operations could be enabled.
During natural disasters such earthquakes, fires and severe weather, prison populations can be restricted from entering general common areas due to safety risks.
During lockdowns, incarcerated people must have their basic needs met.
This includes at least three meals a day as well as access to healthcare, continued medical treatments and personal hygiene products such as soap and toothpaste.
During modified operations, phone calls, visits and access to training, jobs and legal assistance must be available to the inmate population.
This story was originally published July 24, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline “What happens to CA inmates when disaster hits? Prisons aren’t prepared, audit says.”
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