Can the government force you to evacuate your home?

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Grub Master

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Explosive Device in Newspaper Injures California Man

Published March 27, 2011

VACAVILLE, Calif. – Authorities say a Northern California man was injured when a device hidden inside a Sunday newspaper exploded as the man reached for the paper on his driveway.

The blast at about around 10:20 a.m. Sunday forced the evacuation of surrounding homes in a cul-de-sac in Vacaville, which is located between San Francisco and Sacramento.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/2...wspaper-injures-california-man/#ixzz1HtifdUdj


Can law enforcement force you to evacuate your home if you do not want to?
I am not saying this was not a bad idea in this case, but was it an over reaction?
What are your options?
What can they do if you refuse?
I would not be comfortable leaving my home when I feel there is no real threat to me or my home but some agency has made a decision evacuate.
Thanks
 
Seems they did a pretty good job of it during Katrina. Whether they are allowed to force your evacuation is debatable, but obviously they can.

When it comes down to it, they are following orders and doing it for your safety. It's not some back door gun confiscation scheme (though Katrina turned out that way).

I'm in the state of mind that my safety is my responsibility though. If my neighbor got blown up by the Sunday paper, I'd probably just avoid picking mine up that day and tell the police to pound sand. Results may vary after that though lol.
 
Actually, I don't think they can force you to go, forget the court case I read of years ago. Most people would follow police orders any way, and most LEOs probably would think they could break into homes and brag innocent people out...bad idea.
 
Texas passed a law after Katrina giving the government authority to use "reasonable force" to compel an evacuation.

If the evac order is ignored and a rescue is needed later, the person ignoring the order will be financially liable for the cost of rescue.

Not sure what "reasonable force" is....

Interesting topic but not really gun law related.

So, we'll have to close this one as off topic.
 
A couple of points before closing: This particular instance seems like over-reaction after an event has already occurred.

Philosophically, if a person does not evacuate after being told to do so and then later requires rescue, that person should pay the costs of that rescue. Folks are supposed to pay the cost of the messes they make.
 
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