RALEIGH - Hundreds of inmates are at work cleaning up damage and debris left by Hurricane Fran in state parks from the coast as far inland as Alamance County.

"Our use of inmate labor in the Fran clean up is the most extensive use of inmate labor during an emergency in the history of the state," said state Correction Secretary Franklin Freeman. "In the last month, state prison managers, correctional officers and state prisoners have worked to clean up communities, schoolyards and parks."

After Hurricane Fran struck one month ago, the demand for inmate labor shifted from emergency assistance in the first days to helping local governments in the first weeks to cleaning up the state parks.

Correctional officers and inmates from five state prisons are clearing recreation areas today at Falls Lake in Wake County and Kerr Lake in Vance County.

At the North Carolina Sword of Peace Historical Site in Alamance County, Orange Correctional Center inmates are clearing trees. The clean-up job will require more than a week of work to clear the site where outdoor dramas are staged.

At the Alamance battleground, more than 50 pine trees were down. Inmates from Davidson Correctional Center helped to remove the trees and rake the grounds clean.

"The inmates have gone into parks, cleared campsites and opened trails so the public can use them again," said Lee Tulloch, a state prison manager.

At Jones Lake State Park near White Oak, Bladen Youth Center inmates picked up debris, filled in the holes where trees had been removed and cleared walking trails.

Inmates from Neuse Correctional Institution at Goldsboro used bush axes, shovels and rakes to clean up the Aycock birthplace historic site on U.S. 117 near Pikeville.

Along the coast, New Hanover Correctional Center inmates spent all last week clearing debris at Carolina Beach State Park. They've also worked at Fort Fisher and at Kure Beach recreation areas.

Current work project

Project planned, in some cases additional work