A Sunday brawl in a Florida jail forced officers to transfer twenty-four inmates to a Fort Lauderdale facility yesterday. Officials from the North Broward Jail recently reported the disturbance, reporting that although the incident did not reach the level of “riot”, an emergency response team was called into subdue inmate tension. The emergency response team was armed with Taser guns, shields and riot gear.

According to officials, tension at the jail escalated following Hurricane Wilma. Prisoners were being housed in difficult conditions, reportedly with no access to showers, water, or bathroom facilities. There was also minor flooding in the facility, and every cell was filled to capacity. Some inmates were also forced to sleep on hard boards.

Officers say that these conditions caused inmates to become uncooperative and boisterous. A spokesman for the prison stated that the disturbance was a result of a post-hurricane environment, as well as a lack of air-conditioning. Authorities say that they responded quickly to the situation in order to avoid a riot, and added that the inmates were put on lockdown for more than two days following the incident.