Sec. 9. (a) The agency shall prepare and maintain a current state emergency operations plan. The plan may provide for the following:

(1) Prevention and minimization of injury and damage caused by disaster.

(2) Prompt and effective response to disaster.

(3) Emergency relief.

(4) Identification of areas particularly vulnerable to disaster.

(5) Recommendations for:

(A) zoning;

(B) building;

(C) other land use controls;

(D) safety measures for securing mobile homes or other nonpermanent or semipermanent structures; and

(E) other preventive and preparedness measures designed to eliminate or reduce disaster or its impact;

that must be disseminated to both the fire prevention and building safety commission and local authorities.

(6) Assistance to local officials in designing local emergency action plans.

(7) Authorization and procedures for the erection or other construction of temporary works designed to protect against or mitigate danger, damage, or loss from flood, conflagration, or other disaster.

(8) Preparation and distribution to the appropriate state and local officials of state catalogs of federal, state, and private assistance programs.

(9) Organization of manpower and chains of command.

(10) Coordination of federal, state, and local disaster activities.

(11) Coordination of the state disaster plan with the disaster plans of the federal government.

(12) Other necessary matters.

     (b) The agency shall take an integral part in the development and revision of local and interjurisdictional disaster plans prepared under section 17 of this chapter. The agency shall employ or otherwise secure the services of professional and technical personnel capable of providing expert assistance to political subdivisions, a political subdivision‘s disaster agencies, and interjurisdictional planning and disaster agencies. These personnel:

(1) shall consult with subdivisions and government agencies on a regularly scheduled basis;

(2) shall make field examinations of the areas, circumstances, and conditions to which particular local and interjurisdictional disaster plans are intended to apply; and

(3) may suggest revisions.

     (c) In preparing and revising the state disaster plan, the agency shall seek the advice and assistance of local government, business, labor, industry, agriculture, civic and volunteer organizations, and community leaders. In advising local and interjurisdictional agencies, the agency shall encourage local and interjurisdictional agencies to seek advice from the sources specified in this subsection.

     (d) The state disaster plan or any part of the plan may be incorporated in rules of the agency or by executive orders.

     (e) The agency shall do the following:

(1) Determine requirements of the state and political subdivisions for food, clothing, and other necessities in the event of an emergency.

(2) Procure and pre-position supplies, medicines, materials, and equipment.

(3) Adopt standards and requirements for local and interjurisdictional disaster plans.

(4) Provide for mobile support units.

(5) Assist political subdivisions, political subdivisions’ disaster agencies, and interjurisdictional disaster agencies to establish and operate training programs and public information programs.

(6) Make surveys of industries, resources, and facilities in Indiana, both public and private, necessary to carry out this chapter.

(7) Plan and make arrangements for the availability and use of any private facilities, services, and property, and if necessary and if the private facilities, services, or property is used, provide for payment for the use under agreed upon terms and conditions.

(8) Establish a register of persons with types of training and skills important in emergency prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

(9) Establish a register of mobile and construction equipment and temporary housing available for use in a disaster emergency.

(10) Prepare, for issuance by the governor, executive orders, proclamations, and regulations necessary or appropriate in coping with disaster.

(11) Cooperate with the federal government and any public or private agency or entity in achieving any purpose of this chapter and in implementing programs for disaster prevention, preparation, response, and recovery.

(12) Do other things necessary, incidental, or appropriate to implement this chapter.

     (f) The agency shall ascertain the rapid and efficient communications that exist in times of disaster emergencies. The agency shall consider the desirability of supplementing these communications resources or of integrating these resources into a comprehensive intrastate or state-federal telecommunications or other communications system or network. In studying the character and feasibility of any system, the agency shall evaluate the possibility of multipurpose use of the system for general state and local governmental purposes. The agency shall make appropriate recommendations to the governor.

     (g) The agency shall assist political subdivisions in implementing the intrastate mutual aid compact created by section 10.8 of this chapter.

[Pre-2003 Recodification Citation: 10-4-1-5.]

As added by P.L.2-2003, SEC.5. Amended by P.L.205-2003, SEC.5; P.L.85-2015, SEC.2.