Power was restored Friday at Beaumont's Federal Correctional Complex, which had been using a backup generator to cope with intermittent power outages since last Thursday.
For days, relatives and loved ones of inmates have expressed concern about the living conditions at the facility. But, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the flooding -- which temporarily prevented 17 staff members from leaving after Harvey -- was not in any of the areas where inmates were being housed. And, the water that was around the facility began to recede Thursday, according to officials.
"There is an adequate food and water supply for both inmates and staff," the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement.
Chron told a different story. Using an inmate prison email system, the news outlet reported on inmates claiming they were malnourished and only receiving limited food and water. 12 News' independent efforts to contact inmates through their families were unsuccessful.
One relative told 12 News inmates were not being allowed to use the facility's telephone system. The Federal Bureau of Prisons said that was due to intermittent outages with the phone system -- similar to issues being experienced throughout parts of southeast Texas impacted by the flooding. In response to contact issues, the prison staff actually activated a family support center to help, according to the prison system.
As for water shortages, the City of Beaumont was without water for days -- affecting not only inmates but also residents in the whole city. In response to the city-wide outage, the facility said it was using its own reserve water supply to care for both inmates and staff who were relying on the secondary water source over the weekend.
Families, for regular updates from the correctional complex, click here.
