Governors' Use of Executive Orders and Proclamations in Hurricane Response, 2006-2018

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2020

Publication Title

Health Security

Volume

18

Issue

6

First page number:

489

Last page number:

495

Abstract

© Copyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 2020. Hurricanes can destroy or overwhelm communities and cause or exacerbate health conditions. Legal mechanisms and practices may aid or impede hurricane response. In the United States, where states have primary public health responsibility, state governors possess legal powers to address hurricanes. They often exercise these powers using executive orders and proclamations - legal mechanisms that direct public and private parties. Although executive orders and proclamations are critical for hurricane preparedness and response, how governors use them to respond to hurricanes is not fully understood. Using legal epidemiology, we systematically identified and analyzed hurricane-related executive orders and proclamations issued in the United States from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2018. We found 468 relevant executive orders and proclamations, 14% of which were issued, at least in part, to benefit a jurisdiction other than the issuer's state. We observed variations in when and where such orders and proclamations were issued. Executive orders and proclamations were most commonly used to direct government response or recovery (32%), handle and administer government resources (31%), and suspend legal requirements perceived to inhibit response (27%). Fewer orders and proclamations regulated private parties (10%). Understanding how governors use executive orders and proclamations to respond to hurricanes can bolster future preparedness and response efforts.

Keywords

Governor executive orders/proclamations; Hurricanes; Police powers; Policy; Public health preparedness/response

Disciplines

Emergency and Disaster Management | Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation

Language

English

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