State, county, and municipal governments shall cooperate in developing and maintaining a plan for mutual assistance in emergencies.

(1) State government shall be responsible for:

(a) Establishing policies and developing a plan and procedures to insure maximum utilization of all state resources to minimize loss of life and injury to the populace and destruction or damage to resources and facilities of the State during emergencies resulting from enemy attacks or natural or man-made emergencies.

(b) Providing state forces and resources to support local governmental emergency operations and coordinating support with local governments from other sources, including the federal government and those unaffected counties of the State, and implement mutual assistance agreements with adjoining states.

(c) Assuming direction and control of area or local government emergency operations when requested by the county legislative delegation or their designees or when local government authority has broken down or is nonexistent or when the nature or magnitude of an emergency is such that effective response and recovery action is beyond local government's capability or when, in the event of a war emergency or declared natural or man-made emergency, state direction is required for implementation of a national plan.

(2) County and municipal governments shall be responsible for:

(a) Organizing, planning, and otherwise preparing for prompt, effective employment of available resources of the county or municipality to support emergency operations of the municipalities of the county or to conduct emergency operations in areas where no municipal capability exists.

(b) Coordinating support to municipal emergency operations from other sources including state and federal assistance as well as support made available from other municipalities of the county.

(c) Developing and implementing a shelter/relocation plan to protect the populace from the hazards of a nuclear emergency and to provide for the congregate housing and care of persons displaced or rendered homeless as a result of a natural or man-made emergency.

HISTORY: 1979 Act No. 199, Part II, Section 21; 2008 Act No. 296, Section 2, eff June 11, 2008.

Effect of Amendment

The 2008 amendment reenacted the section with no apparent change.