As used in sections 44.010 to 44.130, the following terms mean:

(1) “Agency”, the state emergency management agency;

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(2) “Bioterrorism”, the intentional use of any microorganism, virus, infectious substance, or biological product that may be engineered as a result of biotechnology, or any naturally occurring or bioengineered component of any such microorganism, virus, infectious substance, or biological product, to cause death, disease, or other biological malfunction in a human, an animal, a plant, or another living organism in order to influence the conduct of government or to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

(3) “Director”, the director of the state emergency management agency;

(4) “Disasters”, disasters which may result from terrorism, including bioterrorism, or from fire, wind, flood, earthquake, or other natural or man-made causes;

(5) “Economic or geographic area”, an area or areas within the state, or partly in this state and adjacent states, comprising political subdivisions grouped together for purposes of administration, organization, control or disaster recovery and rehabilitation in time of emergency;

(6) “Emergency”, any state of emergency declared by proclamation by the governor, or by resolution of the legislature pursuant to sections 44.010 to 44.130 upon the actual occurrence of a natural or man-made disaster of major proportions within this state when the safety and welfare of the inhabitants of this state are jeopardized;

(7) “Emergency management”, government at all levels performing emergency functions, other than functions for which military forces are primarily responsible;

(8) “Emergency management functions”, “emergency management activities” and “emergency management service”, those functions required to prepare for and carry out actions to prevent, minimize and repair injury and damage due to disasters, to include emergency management of resources and administration of such economic controls as may be needed to provide for the welfare of the people, either on order of or at the request of the federal government, or in the event the federal government is incapable of administering such control;

(9) “Emergency resources planning and management”, planning for, management and coordination of national, state and local resources;

(10) “Executive officer of any political subdivision”, the county commission or county supervisor or the mayor or other manager of the executive affairs of any city, town, village or fire protection district;

(11) “Local organization for emergency management”, any organization established under this law by any county or by any city, town, or village to perform local emergency management functions;

(12) “Management”, the activities of the emergency management director in the implementation of emergency operations plans during time of emergency;

(13) “Planning”, activities of the state and local emergency management agency in the formulation of emergency management plans to be used in time of emergency;

(14) “Political subdivision”, any county or city, town or village, or any fire district created by law;

(15) “Urban search and rescue task force”, any entity whose primary responsibility is to locate, remove, and provide medical care to persons in collapsed buildings.