ABA Legal Fact Check examines law behind mandatory evacuations in times of crisis

CHICAGO, Sept. 8, 2017 — The American Bar Association updated its new web-based legal fact check service today by exploring the law behind state and local orders for mandatory evacuations.

The site, ABA Legal Fact Check, debuted last month and is the first fact check website focusing exclusively on legal matters. The project is one of several initiatives launched by Hilarie Bass, who became the new ABA president on Aug. 15 at the close of the ABA Annual Meeting in New York.

With Hurricane Harvey walloping Southeast Texas two weeks ago and Irma moving through the Caribbean and set to hit South Florida, state and local authorities have the lawful power to order mandatory evacuations and other actions to protect lives either before or after a hurricane makes landfall. But for residents in the path of a storm, these orders can force some to believe they must choose between following the law or staying put to protect property. State laws deal with these situations in different ways.

ABA Legal Fact Check seeks to help the public find dependable answers and explanations to swirling and sometimes confusing legal questions. The URL for the new site is www.abalegalfactcheck.com . Follow us on twitter @ABAFactCheck.

Click here for a biography of ABA President Hilarie Bass.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.