Evacuation Ordered
Palm Beach County orders evacuation of 300,000 people
Authorities ordered 2.5 million people to flee the huge
storm’s path, the largest evacuation in state history. Traffic clogged
the roads leading away from the hurricane’s likely targets, with
vehicles slowed to 10 miles an hour along a 40-mile stretch of
Florida’s Turnpike south of Orlando.
As a Libertarian I have a problem with the government ordering
anybody to do anything. The authorities should warn people there’s a
hurricane coming, but I don’t think they have any right to order them to leave. If you’re not smart enough to get out, that’s your own problem.
If you stay and you get hurt, don’t expect help from rescue
services, that’s the risk you took. Even though they’re not
Libertarians, my in-laws have stayed in their Sunset Beach home and
ignored evacuation orders in the past. They have a crawlspace they go
into if things get really bad.
Is there a civil or criminal penalty if you’re ordered out and you don’t go?
This post has one comment
September 3rd, 2004
Hal from Tampa Bay area here.
They did issue an evacuation order, but the government is not forcing people to leave. They can’t and won’t do that.
The police and fire officers do and will continue to go through neighborhoods until the last minute warning people to leave but they will not force anyone out.
There will come a point when the police and fire officers will not go out to help people if they suddenly change their minds.