South Dakota Secretary of Corrections Nick Lamb has authorized offenders and staff from the Department of Corrections (DOC) to assist with storm damage cleanup efforts in Custer State Park.   A crew of 15 minimum-custody offenders and four staff from the Rapid City Minimum Center were deployed on D ecember 20, 2025, to help remove fallen trees throughout the park following last week’s windstorm.   “I witnessed the damage first-hand on Saturday, and it is extensive,” said Lamb. “Our crews have a big job ahead of them, but they are willing and able to assist and give back to society.”   On December 22, 2025, a crew of 11 minimum-custody offenders and four staff from the Rapid City Minimum Center were deployed to continue with the cleanup. Additional deployments of DOC disaster crews will be made if necessary.   DOC also offered disaster assistance in Hudson in July 2025, in the Southeast portion of the state following flooding in 2024, in the Northeast following flooding in 2023, and after the derecho in 2022. Photo courtesy of the South Dakota Department of Corrections. Photo courtesy of the South Dakota Department of Corrections. Photo courtesy of the South Dakota Department of Corrections. ...read more read less