Hurricane Evacuation Laws in Eight Southern U.S. Coastal States - December 2018.

Hurricane Evacuation Laws in Eight Southern U.S. Coastal States - December 2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Sep 11;69(36):1233-1237 Authors: Kruger J, Smith MJ, Chen B, Paetznick B, Bradley BM, Abraha R, Logan M, Chang ER, Sunshine G, Romero-Steiner S Abstract National Preparedness month is observed every September as a public service reminder of the importance of personal and community preparedness for all events; it coincides with the peak of the hurricane season in the United States. Severe storms and hurricanes can have long-lasting effects at all community levels. Persons who are prepared and well-informed are often better able to protect themselves and others (1). Major hurricanes can devastate low-lying coastal areas and cause injury and loss of life from storm surge, flooding, and high winds (2). State and local government entities play a significant role in preparing communities for hurricanes and by evacuating coastal communities before landfall to reduce loss of life from flooding, wind, and power outages (3). Laws can further improve planning and outreach for catastrophic events by ensuring explicit statutory authority over evacuations of communities at risk (4). State evacuation laws vary widely and might not adequately address information and communication flows to reach populations living in disaster-prone areas who are at risk. To understand the range of evacuation laws in coastal communities that historically ha...
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Source Type: research