Hot Snow
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| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Location | southwest Eastshield |
| Status | Abandoned |
| Security class | Unidentified |
| Capacity | 1000 |
| Population | 107 (as of 2010) |
| Opened | Late 2004 |
| Managed by |
United States of Antarctica (formerly) Independent (current) |
| Warden | Chelsea Monroe and Ivory Plasterburg |
| No. of executions | 1 |
| Death methods | Bombing (planned mid-2011) |
| Notable prisoners | |
| Link (released), Manny Peng (shifted), | |
The Hot Snow is a near-abandoned prison southwest of Eastshield that was the former national prison of the USA, before being succeeded by Owcatraz, and the former state prison of Eastshield, before being succeeded by a makeshift detention facility. The Hot Snow consists of two structures: the main building, that has been abandoned, and the extension building that currently houses the 107 prisoners.
The Hot Snow was once notoriously for its low security, due to structural flaws, lack of safety regulations and maintainance, overcrowding and undermanned facilities. These flaws caused the 2007 prison outbreak that caused many to escape. Since then, the main building has been almost demolished with only its structural skeleton remaining. The Hot Snow remained the state prison of Eastshield until mid-2010 when it was replaced by a makeshift detention facility near South Pole City.
Contents
History[edit]
Federal prison[edit]
The former state prison of Eastshield and national prison of the USA, Prison de Eastshield, had to be demolished as it was aging quickly. A new prison had to be built to house criminals and villains, and thus construction on Project Snowstar commenced in early 2003.
Construction was rushed and workers had little time to rest, thus although the exterior and interior of the building looked nice, it was not tight on security. The staff caretaking the prisoners did not notice this. It was marked 'safe' by a safety officer.
In 2006, due to an unusual uprise in criminal activity, the totalled number of penguins in the building was overcapacity. Some of the prisoners did not have lunch, and fights became more frequent. Eventually, an extension had to be built, which was expected to be completed in 2008.
The structual flaws of the building were exposed in March 2007, when a large signboard advertising Poritos caved into the fourth floor of the main building. Several prisoners were killed, and many others used the opportunity to escape. The Hot Snow wardens had to issue a Red Light alert, and the large hole in the roof had to be sealed off. The roof was never repaired, though, and remains a place of interest to date.
Decline[edit]
In 2008, The Hot Snow was stripped of its status as a national prison, the position given to the newly-opened and tight security prison Owcatraz. In early 2009, the USA government issued a letter to move half of the prisoners in the jail to either Owcatraz or allow them to flee to Ban Island. The safety officer who marked the building safe was fired, having not noticed the flaws which was indeed visible after a conducive investigation.
Link, probably the most infamous of all prisoners, was put in The Hot Snow at the time. Meanwhile, the government had given a chance for the prison to redeem itself. Although Link has escaped once, he was captured again and put back since. Eventually, plans for a successor were scrapped. The Hot Snow only had to improve on its structure.
After the release of Link and a shift of most prisoners inside to the extension building, The Hot Snow's main building was ready to be demolished. Instead of tearing down the whole building or bombing it, the constructor tore the walls of the first three floors, with only the structural poles standing.
The constructor never fully completed the task, and instead proceeded to build an all-new complex at a more secluded spot around 10km north. The building has not been torn down yet, although a bomb has been planted with many strings tied to it to bring down the building in 2009. The bomb has not been activated.
Current status[edit]
The Hot Snow main building, its structure starting to show signs of fatigue, has been a point of interest to tourists who pass by the spot on the way to SPC. The large hole, and the untouched wall, clearly visible as if it were a life-size dollhouse, has attracted many and gradually the number of tourists increased over the months. The government refuses to give it a "place of interest" status, as it is still in operation.
In 2010, The Hot Snow was no longer the state prison, and was replaced by a makeshift detention facility near SPC. Later that year a bomb was placed, set to detonate within twenty-four hours. It never did.
On November 2010, when a government-issued street directory of Eastshield was released, the Hot Snow did not appear on the map. Other maps released since November did not include the Hot Snow's two buildings.
The undetonated bomb was eventually removed sometime in February 2011. The government finally issued a detonation order of the building, set in May 2011, to rid the complex once and for all.
Flaws with the Hot Snow[edit]
As mentioned earlier, the Hot Snow had crucial flaws that lead to the 2007 prison outbreak and a cave-in of the prison roof. These events were mainly attributed to the structural design and maintanence work, while security was also blamed.
Structure[edit]
The structure of the collapsed main building, shockingly, had a number of other materials such as gum, plastic and even tissue paper squeezed into the pillars of the walls, mainly the middle section. A statement revealed that the contractor was given very little time to complete the facility, and thus materials could not be delivered on time. Also noticeable was evident, fearsome cracks within the flooring that suggests a lack of structural support. Each pillar was placed approximately 35cm apart. The overcrowding in the prison heightened flaws within the structure and eventually, the roof and top floors gave way causing a massive hole in the structure.
Safety inspections[edit]
Like all prisons, the Hot Snow had to be inspected for structural flaws before the opening. At the time, there was a significant uprise in properties due to the reformation of Antarctica, which led to a lack of manpower. Thus, incapable inspectors were hired, one of which attended to the Hot Snow. The complex was not finished when the inspector first arrived, so he believed everything was all right. During his second visit, he was unable to notice any flaws to the naked eye. Most of the structural flaws were unseen and deep within the structure itself, but spread out as days went by.
During the inspector's third visit, he was also to inspect the security officers, which were alerted and replaced with actors so as to cover up for any security issues. At the time, the director in charge had a notorious reputation but was given a chance. Obviously, no flaws were spotted and the prison was let off the hook. Eventually, a court case in 2008 declared the director and the inspector guilty of fraud and manslaughter, and were sentenced to a twenty-five year jail sentence (in the Hot Snow itself, ironically).
