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Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Law of 2000 (Code of Virginia: Title 44. Military and Emergency Laws; Chapter 3.2. Emergency Services and Disaster Law)

Country/Territory
United States of America
Territorial subdivision
Virginia
Document type
Legislation
Date
2000 (2020)
Source
FAO, FAOLEX
Subject
Environment gen., General
Keyword
Hazards Governance Early warning system Risk assessment/management Public health Institution Procedural matters
Geographical area
Americas, Arctic, East Pacific, North America, North Atlantic
Abstract

This law provides for emergency services and disaster management. Specifically, it provides that, because of the ever present possibility of the occurrence of disasters of unprecedented size and destructiveness resulting from enemy attack, sabotage or other hostile action, resource shortage, or from fire, flood, earthquake, or other natural causes, and in order to insure that preparations of the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions will be adequate to deal with such emergencies, and generally to provide for the common defense and to protect the public peace, health, and safety, and to preserve the lives and property and economic well-being of the people of the Commonwealth, it is hereby found and declared to be necessary and to be the purpose of this chapter: (1) to create a State Department of Emergency Management, and to authorize the creation of local organizations for emergency management in the political subdivisions of the Commonwealth; (2) to confer upon the Governor and upon the executive heads or governing bodies of the political subdivisions of the Commonwealth emergency powers provided herein; and (3) to provide for rendering of mutual aid among the political subdivisions of the Commonwealth and with other states and to cooperate with the federal government with respect to the carrying out of emergency service functions. It is further declared to be the purpose of this chapter and the policy of the Commonwealth that all emergency service functions of the Commonwealth be coordinated to the maximum extent possible with the comparable functions of the federal government, other states, and private agencies of every type, and that the Governor shall be empowered to provide for enforcement by the Commonwealth of national emergency services programs, to the end that the most effective preparation and use may be made of the nation's resources and facilities for dealing with any disaster that may occur.

Full text
English
Website
law.lis.virginia.gov

References - Legislation

Implemented by

Declaration of State of Emergency Due to Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 (Executive Order Number Fifty-One 2020 of Governor of Commonwealth of Virginia)

Legislation | United States of America | 2020

Keyword: Public health, Hazards, Risk assessment/management, Policy/planning

Source: FAO, FAOLEX