"No Flood of Emotion"

[CalicoPenn]

Different reply - on martial law. All martial law does is substitute civilian control to military control, civilian justice for military justice. Neither the federal government, nor most states in the US, have a mechanism for declaring martial law. Louisiana is one of those states that does not have such a mechanism. What the US, and most states, have, is a mechanism to declare a legal "State of Emergency". This is not the same as martial law, as it does not turn over control of civilian functions to the military - rather, it empowers the government to use the military to perform certain functions, especially law enforcement. At all times in this country, the military is under the control of civilians - martial law would reverse that, and that would be unconstitutional (which is why we don't have a mechanism for declaring martial law).

 

So I'll reiterate, there is no civil or criminal penalties for failing to follow a "mandatory" evacuation. The government can not force anyone from their home in an evacuation - it can only strongly suggest. And the courts can't declare your home uninhabitable pre-disaster, if there is no evidence that the home is currently uninhabitable. Of course, if you decide to stay home, you do so at your own risk.

[Gold Winger]

"Um, folks everybody lives in a flood plain. It is just characterized by higher or lower periods of flooding."

 

Mebbe. Mebbe not. I live about 250 feet above the nearest creek and nearly 500 feet above the nearest river. For my house to flood, it would have to be a flood of biblical proportions.

[GernBlansten]

When we went under mandatory evacuation for the Hayman fire, they did a reverse 911 with a recorded message to evacuate in 30 minutes. A deputy came down the street as we were loading the cars. I asked him what penalty I would sustain if I chose to stay and fight. He calmly took out a notebook and asked who my dentist was. I asked why, and he said so they could use dental records to identify my corpse. He then stated that nobody was going to try and save me if the fire came through. I laughed and loaded the last box in the truck before waving goodbye to the deputy.