Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:728 – Parish homeland security and emergency preparedness agency
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:728
- Disaster: means the result of a natural or man-made event which causes loss of life, injury, and property damage, including but not limited to natural disasters such as hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high winds, and other weather related events, forest and marsh fires, and man-made disasters, including but not limited to nuclear power plant incidents, hazardous materials incidents, oil spills, explosion, civil disturbances, public calamity, acts of terrorism, hostile military action, and other events related thereto. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
- Emergency: means :
(a) The actual or threatened condition which has been or may be created by a disaster; or
(b)(i) Any natural or man-made event which results in an interruption in the delivery of utility services to any consumer of such services and which affects the safety, health, or welfare of a Louisiana resident; or
(ii) Any instance in which a utility's property is damaged and such damage creates a dangerous condition to the public. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
- Emergency preparedness: means the mitigation of, preparation for, response to, and the recovery from emergencies or disasters. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
- Homeland: means the state of Louisiana, and where the context requires, means the parishes of the state of Louisiana, "the United States". See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
- Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Parish president: means the president of any parish, mayor-president, mayor of New Orleans (Orleans Parish), or police jury president. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
A. Each parish office of homeland security and emergency preparedness thus created shall have a director who shall be appointed by the parish president of the parish establishing such organization and each director shall be commissioned by the director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. The parish director thus appointed and commissioned shall serve at the pleasure of the parish president.
B. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prevent the parish president from serving as the director.
C. The director of the parish office of homeland security and emergency preparedness shall have direct responsibility for the organization, administration, and operation of such local organization for homeland security and emergency preparedness subject to the direction and control of the parish president under the general direction and control of the governor and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
D. The director of the parish office of homeland security and emergency preparedness shall take and subscribe to the following oath:
“I _____________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Louisiana, and the territory, institutions, and facilities thereof, both public and private, against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties on which I am about to enter and I do further swear (or affirm) that I do not advocate, nor am I a member of any political party or organization that advocates, the overthrow of the government of the United States or of this state by force or violence; and that during such time as I am a member of the ___________________________ (parish) office of homeland security and emergency preparedness, I will not advocate nor become a member of any political party or organization that advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States or of this state by force or violence.”
E. The director may appoint an assistant director to administer the provisions of this Chapter. The assistant director shall have and may exercise such powers and duties of the director related thereto as the director shall delegate to him.
F. The parish president may authorize the director to employ such professional, technical, clerical, stenographic, and other personnel and he shall fix their compensation and may make expenditures from available funds appropriated or authorized by the state for purposes of homeland security and emergency preparedness as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Chapter. The director and the assistant director, if an assistant director is appointed, shall be provided with necessary and appropriate office space, furniture, equipment, supplies, stationery, and printing. The necessary mileage, office expenses, salaries of personnel, postage, telephone, and expressage shall be chargeable to any funds available for homeland security and emergency preparedness.
G. The parish president shall designate any parish, municipal, or special district employees the parish president deems necessary to be dedicated, on a full-time basis, to emergency preparedness and disaster or emergency response in the parish. The director shall ensure the employees designated pursuant to this Section and any local officials deemed necessary by the parish president have received the annual emergency management training provided for in La. Rev. Stat. 29:726(F)(2).
Acts 1993, No. 800, §1, eff. June 22, 1993; Acts 2003, No. 40, §2, eff. May 23, 2003; Acts 2006, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 35, §1, eff. March 1, 2006; Acts 2006, No. 442, §3, eff. June 15, 2006; Acts 2022, No. 526, §1, eff. June 16, 2022.