ROBESON COUNTY- Three community work crews from Robeson Correctional Center are helping farmers in the fields after Governor Jim Hunt has issued a disaster declaration. Severe storms damaged more than 250 acres of crops in the Fairmont, White Pond and Marietta communities.

A correctional officer will supervise each crew made up of ten inmates as they assist farmers in standing up the tobacco. Inmates assigned to Community Work crews are in minimum custody and are screened prior to being placed on jobs outside the prison facility.

This storm cleanup project is a joint effort of the Division of Prisons, the Division of Emergency Management and the Agriculture Extension Service.

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