Legal Liability during Evacuation of Low-Income Elderly Persons

Vulnerable Populations
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Vulnerable Populations
Whenever a disaster or emergency occurs, vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and low-income persons, are likely to be affected the most (Emergency Authority & Immunity Toolkit, 2022). Although prior warnings are provided for some disasters, for example, hurricanes, these vulnerable populations have few options on their table due to their disadvantaged state. The wealthy and the young may leave the area to be affected in advance and go to sager areas. Evidence has shown that most well-up families often leave the affected areas in advance and evacuate to safer regions (Matyas, 2021). Due to the low economic endowment, a significant number of low-income families are likely to be left in their homes, making them more prone to danger (Raikes et a., 2019). In instances where they go to safer areas, they are likely to be entirely dependent on aid for survival.
Having made these observations, it is clear that low-income earners and the elderly are at a unique position of disadvantage when it comes to disasters and emergencies. Consequently, when emergency management officials ignore how well the execution of an emergency will affect a neighborhood where the vulnerable live, then they open up a portal of grave ethical and legal issues. First, it is quite unethical to ignore how an execution strategy affects those who need such execution the most. In addition to being unethical, it also poses several possible legal liabilities.
One of the legal liabilities that may arise is that of negligence. There is a possibility that the ignorance by the emergency management officials may result in the suffering of people in the neglected neighborhood. The concept of negligence can only become legally liable when there is proof that the action or inaction of the emergency officials inflicted pain, suffering, loss, or other harm to the neglected persons (National Center...