“I was in Donovan during the big wildfire in the early 2000s. We were locked down in our cells while I watched fire burning toward me out the back window. It was hard to breathe day and night. I slept with a wet towel and a face mask. I feared they would leave me to die while they evacuated the jail.”

“I was in ad-seg at Delano Prison - Kern Valley when it opened in '05 during the winter months it was freezing in cells. Ice on walls. One blanket, 2 sheets. One set of whites. No jumpsuit. We suffered hypothermia. Food supplies were also low. Was hard to talk.”

“In Solano State Prison when the state of California had rolling black outs, inmates were forced to be locked in their cells with no air at all, it got over 110 degrees F. Also, when the hills caught fire twice, we were forced in our cells locked in with smoke. When California was required to conserve water in droughts, Solano State prison only let inmates shower for 5 minutes every 3 days and flush the toilet 2 times an hour, if inmates used it more, the toilet would not flush for over an hour (they were punished for flushing the toilet more).”

“When I was in Pelican Bay, during tsunami warnings, a bar was put on the door, preventing the door from opening, leaving us to drown. Folsom state prison was close to a dam. There are no emergency plans.”

“I am here at High Desert and we have extreme cold and extreme heat. We have had no access to water when the power goes out from the overheated system. Also, when it rains the power goes out as well as when it snows so there is no electricity or water during these extreme conditions. A year ago there was a fire near this prison and we were put on lockdown and the staff left. We thought that was it.”

“Only in SQSP, first time in prison. Every emergency was as incarcerated individuals experienced here we are locked down and locked in cells. Honestly I feel there is no protocol for emergencies and the incarcerated population will be left to allow the elements to take our lives. The cells are outdated and an officer having to go from tier 1 to tier 5- I don't see that happening!”

“I believe 2020 we had fire all over it was 12:00 pm but it was dark as night, dead birds everywhere ash covered everything. They kept us in our cells choking. I had to wet a towel and breathe through it. I thought I was going to die.”

“I've been to Wasco, Ironwood, Chuckawalla and they're all the same when it comes to climate emergencies, and one thing you can be sure about, and that's when extreme weather comes, you can bet you will suffer. Because you're always lacking something whether it's clothing, blankets, or a good mattress, cold water, or even good water. Sometimes heaters and fans are hard to come by, and the buildings of most prisons are not adequately built to produce proper air or heat. Prisoners receive no training at all for climate emergencies. If a climate emergency occurs we have no idea what to do, and we would be the emergency. Also due to temperature changes many inmates including myself are experiencing extreme allergies, and broken down immune systems. A matter of fact when it comes to extreme weather I've seen buildings being flooded by an enormous amount of rain. Or heat penetrating through the walls, and mind you we have to live in these conditions. Dealing with creatures or ants from the outside also trying to get away from outside causing so many problems.”

“Here at San Quentin, there is no perceived sense of urgency or need to create and more importantly, share that plan with the incarcerated population. There has been multiple times when the power and generator have failed during heat waves and I have suffered asthma attacks and passed out to sleep. These power outages at night when are are locked in our cells. At Donovan in San Diego, the heat regularly reaches 90-100 degrees from April til November and there is no plan to even hand out ice. Custody claims it is Medical's problem and medical claims it's Custody's problem.”