Should people be FORCED to leave their homes if they don't want to?

[Blue_Roses]

Listening now to FORCED evacuations on these people who don't want to leave. I don't know how I feel about this...

Leaving your home --your ONLY home to go God knows where...:shrug: BUT the alternative--living in and probably dying in your contaminated environment. I think the FORCED part is what I'm having trouble with.

[mattclearing]

1. Doesn't sound like freedom to me. n/t

[lse7581011]

2. "This is Not the Country I Grew Up In"

Most fitting quote I've heard in the past week! How in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" can government officials be forcing people to leave their homes? This is beyond outrageous-this is sickening and disgusting!

[benburch]

3. If those persons get cholera or similar they will become a public hazard.

Yes, you need to remove them to a safe place for the public safety.

[Blue_Roses]

7. that definitely answers my question

sheds a whole new light on things...thinking with my heart and not my head I guess...

[Spazito]

14. Good point, I hadn't thought of that aspect

[Horse with no Name]

4. For their safety...yes

Unfortunately.
NOLA is a toxic waste dump.

[benburch]

11. If it were just their own safety, I'd say let them stay. nt

[Horse with no Name]

19. Except that their lives are in danger

to stay...and WHEN they die...they will then become a public safety issue, biohazardous if you will.

[benburch]

20. Agreed.

But I generally think you have a right to endanger yourself.

[Horse with no Name]

21. In ordinary circumstances I wholeheartedly agree

but this is extraordinary.:(

[William769]

5. First you need to see who is asking for the forced evacuation.

I have to give the Mayor the benefit of the doubt with this decision.

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. FEMA and BushCo made sure that things got this bad

Now the mayor has no choice and if any more people die has a result, they won't be able to blame it on him. If he let them stay then you can be sure they would find a way to make him look bad. The Terri Schiavo folks would start holding vigils again.

[Blue_Roses]

8. oh god...please no

LOL :rofl:

The Terri Schiavo folks would start holding vigils again.

I needed that laugh...

[MadHound]

9. For their safety, and ours, yes, they have to get out of NO

The longer they stay there, the greater their chances of contracting some disease, that they can then spread to others. God knows, we don't need an epidemic on top of everything else.

In addition, there is going to have to be major destruction done before the reconstruction can begin, and having to deal with people who are too stubborn to leave is not a good thing.

And Jesus Christ, do you really want to live for months on end in a flooded out house, in a flooded out city, with no electric, gas or water?

Don't shoot them, don't arrest them, but yes, these people absolutely have to move now.

[bribri16]

10. If it becomes a matter of national health, YES.

Why wait until become become so sick and diseased that even healcare rescuers are endangered. As bad as it sounds other alternative can be much worse. The crime here is that things had to get to this point.

[Squatch]

12. Yes.

Because if one of the holdouts gets sick later on, some EMT or SAR guy is going to risk his/her life to save them.

[bottomofthehill]

13. For public health and the safety of the rescue worker

If you stay behind, there is a very good chance that at some time in the very near future, you will need the assistance of a first responder.

By staying behind, you not only put your life in danger but the life of the rescue crew that will need to come to your aid.

At this point, things are so bad, it is not safe or healthy to stay and it could endanger the lives of others.

It does not seem right to remove people by force from their homes but had we done it before the storm, there would be about 10,000 more people alive today.

[G_j]

15. for those who won't leave because of pets

I would think it would a lot less expensive and provocative to arrange something for them than to force them out or arrest them.
For those who are afraid to leave all that they have left in this world, I can sympathize also. I would feel pretty nervous about where the authorities were going to relocate me, and that I may never have a place to call home again. Are they going to invite the poor folks back when this is all over? I have no idea, but the unknowns are pretty frightening. What a terrible situation. The health risks are very serious.

[Mizmoon]

16. The government always had the power to condemn houses

that are unfit to live in. If they go the legal route then I don't see any problems with it.

[KharmaTrain]

17. For The Common Good

For those who hated the SCOTUS ruling that legally supported eminent domain.

Let's face it, unless the flooded sections of the city aren't cleared and cleaned, the recovery of that area will be hampered for months, even years. Without a full evacuation, the diseases and toxic devestation of the area will be prolonged.

Remember, this area is going to have to be rebuilt from the street level up. Streets will have to be torn up, large sections of sewer replaced, tons of new electrical, phone and cable lines, replacing gas main...and so on. There's no way this type of reconstruction can go on with thousands of people flooding the area.

Yes, these people were forced to leave their homes, but it doesn't mean they leave everything. As long as they still have title or can prove title on their house, they still have something. The government will be forced into dealing with these people and either they'll be offered new housing or a cash settlement so they can move on with their lives.

Sadly there's little alternative here. Do you let people live in those conditions and prevent a full rebuilding of parts of the city to accomodate those who put their houses ahead of the rebuilding of the city?

Hopefully, city planners can use this unique opportunity to create a better living situation that will make New Orleans better than ever.

The 1927 flood resulted in thousands, mostly blacks, to head north...but it didn't destroy New Orleans. Some returned, others spread the city's culture across the country. The sooner the city is able to rebuild, the sooner that marvelous cultural gumbo we all love will return and flourish.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

18. Of course they should!

New Orleans has NO FUNCTIONAL EMERGENCY SERVICES. A stray cigarette butt, a spark from a fire used for cooking could burn down an ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD, killing not only the idiot who started the fire, but destroying the houses and property of HUNDREDS of people. The people who are refusing to leave are jeopardizing not only themselves, but the houses and property of other people. This situation is stupid and insane, I know, but there is simply no reason anyone should be allowed to remain in the city under these circumstances.