Sec. 26.23.040. - Homeland security duties of the Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management.

ALASKA STATUTES AND CODES

Sec. 26.23.040. - Homeland security duties of the Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management.

(a) The Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management shall prepare and maintain a state emergency plan and keep it current. The plan may include provisions for

(1) prevention and minimization of injury and damage caused by disasters;

(2) prompt and effective response to disasters;

(3) emergency relief;

(4) identification of geographical areas, municipalities, cities or villages especially vulnerable to a disaster;

(5) recommendations for

(A) zoning, building, and other land use controls;

(B) safety measures for securing mobile homes or other nonpermanent or semi-permanent structures; and

(6) assistance to local officials in designing local emergency action plans;

(7) authorization and procedures for the construction of temporary works designed to protect against or mitigate danger, damage, or loss from a disaster;

(8) organization of manpower and chains of command;

(9) coordination of federal, state, and local disaster activities;

(10) coordination of the state emergency plan with the disaster plans of the federal government; and

(11) other matters necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

(b) The Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management shall play an integral part in the development and revision of local and interjurisdictional disaster plans prepared under AS 26.23.060. To this end, it may employ or otherwise secure the services of professional and technical personnel capable of providing expert assistance to political subdivisions, their disaster agencies, and representatives of interjurisdictional disaster planning and service areas. These personnel shall consult with political subdivisions and agencies on a regular basis and shall make field examinations of the areas, circumstances, and conditions to which particular local and interjurisdictional disaster plans are intended to apply and may suggest or require revisions.

(c) In preparing and maintaining the state emergency plan, the Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management 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 disaster planners, the office shall encourage them also to seek advice from these sources.

(d) The state emergency plan or any part of it may be incorporated in regulations or orders of the Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management. Regulations and orders of the Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management have the force and effect of law.

(e) The Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management shall

(1) determine requirements of the state and its political subdivisions for food, clothing, and other necessities in the event of a disaster emergency;

(2) procure and pre-position supplies, medicines, materials, and equipment;

(3) adopt standards and requirements for local and interjurisdictional disaster plans;

(4) periodically review local and interjurisdictional disaster plans;

(5) establish and operate, or assist political subdivisions, their disaster agencies, and representatives of interjurisdictional disaster planning and service areas to establish and operate, training programs;

(6) plan and make arrangements for the availability and use of any private facilities, services, and property and, if necessary and if in fact used, provide for payment for use under terms and conditions agreed upon by the parties;

(7) establish a register of persons with types of training and skills important in disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery;

(8) prepare, for issuance by the governor, orders, proclamations, and regulations as necessary or appropriate in coping with disasters;

(9) 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, preparedness, response and recovery;

(10) develop and carry out procedures and policies to effectively employ disaster relief funds made available by the governor's authority or by special legislative action; these procedures shall include application and documentation by disaster victims or applicants, review, verification and funding approval, and processing of appeals;

(11) do other things necessary or proper for the implementation of this chapter;

(12) to the extent that money is available from an appropriation for the purposes of this paragraph,

(A) award grants for the purpose of forming local emergency planning committees under AS 26.23.073 ;

(B) in order to comply with 49 U.S.C. 5116(a)(2)(B), make funds available to local emergency planning committees for developing and maintaining emergency plans under AS 26.23.073 and 26.23.075;

(D) award grants for training local emergency planning committees and for training and equipping the emergency response organizations identified in the local plans that execute the plans developed by the committees under AS 26.23.073 and 26.23.075.

(f) To the extent that the plan prepared under this section relates to action required to avert human injury or other damage from a release of a hazardous substance, the plan must be substantially equivalent in relevant respect to the local emergency plans prepared under AS 26.23.073 and 26.23.075 and the state and regional master plans prepared by the Department of Environmental Conservation under AS 46.04.200 - 46.04.210. The plan must use an incident command system comparable to the system used in those plans and must be reviewed by the Alaska State Emergency Response Commission under AS 26.23.077 .

(g) The Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management has the additional powers and duties set out in AS 26.20.025.