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

The Manatee County Jail, which holds 1,200 people and is located on the southeast side of Tampa Bay in the path of the hurricane that barreled toward it across the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, will not evacuate, a representative of the That told the prison Tuesday to Newsweek.

The prison falls within the Zone A evacuation area, the outlet further reported. Those in Zone A could experience storm surge of up to 10 feet and should evacuate first, according to the Manatee County Evacuation Guide.

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

Hurricane Helene hit northwest Florida near Tallahassee less than two weeks ago and the impact across the state and many states further north, especially North Carolina, remains enormous.

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

Multiple jails and prisons in hurricane-affected states have previously 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 spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Corrections said, according to the BBC.

During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, hundreds of incarcerated people were held in the Orleans Parish Jail for four days during the deadly storm. The prisoners were locked in their cells, amid rising waters and without food or water.

Other Florida jails and prisons have also said they will not evacuate during Milton. Jails in Sarasota, Hernando, Pasco, Charlotte and Lee counties will also remain in place during the storm, according to 10 Tampa Bay, a local news station.

Relatives of the prisoners are concerned about the safety of their loved ones.

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

Reimer, who is being identified by her maiden name for fear of retaliation, said officials at both prisons told her they would not be evacuating. “They said their buildings can withstand a storm like this,” 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 did not receive a death sentence,” she said.