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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2006.104240v1 97/Supplement_1/S73    most recent Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Weiss, R. I. Articles by Goodman, R. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Weiss, R. I. Articles by Goodman, R. A.

Rachel I. Weiss, JD, Karen L. McKie, MLS, JD and Richard A. Goodman, MD, JD, MPH

At the time of the study, all of the authors were with the Office of the Chief of Public Health Practice, Public Health Law Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga.

Correspondence: Request for reprints should be sent to Rachel I. Weiss, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Building 21, Mail Stop D30, Atlanta, GA 30333 (e-mail: rweiss{at}cdc.gov).

Law influenced every aspect of the public health response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, from evacuation orders, to waivers of medical licensing requirements, to the clean-up of public health threats on private property. We used public health surveillance of news reports to identify and characterize legal issues arising during the disaster response in 5 Gulf Coast states. Data collected from news reports of the events in real time were followed-up by interviews with selected state legal and emergency management officials. Our analysis indicates the value of surveillance during and after emergency responses in identifying public health–related legal issues and helps to inform the strengthening of legal preparedness frameworks for future disasters.