Legal Preparedness for Hurricane Sandy Authority to Order Hospital Evacuation or Shelter-in-Place in the Mid-Atlantic Region

The authors systematically identified and analyzed state emergency preparedness laws that could have affected evacuation of and sheltering-in-place in hospitals in order to characterize the public health legal preparedness of 4 states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York) in the mid-Atlantic region during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. They conclude that states would be better prepared for future emergencies if they ensure explicit statutory authority to order evacuation and to order sheltering-in-place, particularly of hospitals, where it does not currently exist.