N.Y. EXC Law § 23 — New York Code / Act EXC / Article 2-B / Section 23
Local comprehensive emergency management plans
Status: in_force

§ 23. Local comprehensive emergency management plans. 1. Each county,\nexcept those contained within the city of New York, and each city with a\npopulation of one million or more, shall prepare a comprehensive\nemergency management plan. Each city with a population of less than one\nmillion, town and village is authorized to prepare a comprehensive\nemergency management plan. The disaster preparedness commission shall\nprovide assistance and advice for the development of such plans. Each\ncity with a population of less than one million, town and village plan\nshall be coordinated with the county plan.\n  2. The purpose of such plans shall be to minimize the effect of\ndisasters by (i) identifying appropriate local measures to prevent\ndisasters, (ii) developing mechanisms to coordinate the use of local\nresources and manpower for service during and after disasters and the\ndelivery of services to aid citizens and reduce human suffering\nresulting from a disaster, and (iii) providing for recovery and\nredevelopment after disasters.\n  3. Plans for coordination of resources, manpower and services shall\nprovide for a centralized coordination and direction of requests for\nassistance.\n  4. Plans for coordination of assistance shall provide for utilization\nof existing organizations and lines of authority.\n  5. In preparing such plans, cooperation, advice and assistance shall\nbe sought from local government officials, regional and local planning\nagencies, police agencies, fire departments and fire companies, local\nemergency management agencies, commercial and volunteer ambulance\nservices, health and social services officials, community action\nagencies, the chief administrator of the courts, organizations for the\nelderly and the handicapped, agencies and organizations that provide\nhome health care services, agencies and organizations that provide\nhospice services, other interested groups and the general public. Such\nadvice and assistance may be obtained through public hearings held on\npublic notice, or through other appropriate and practical methods,\nthrough which such aforementioned groups may offer their input for\nconsideration on issues that support the effective preparation and\nexecution of the plan. In addition, in the case of home care and\nhospice, such input may address procedures by which such providers may\nbe granted essential access to care for such patients during an\nemergency.\n  6. All plans for comprehensive emergency management developed by local\ngovernments or any revisions thereto shall be submitted to the\ncommission by December thirty-first of each year to facilitate state\ncoordination of disaster operations.\n  7. Such plans shall include, but not be limited to:\n  a. Disaster prevention and mitigation. Plans to prevent and minimize\nthe effects of disasters shall include, but not be limited to:\n  (1) identification of hazards and assessment of risk;\n  (2) recommended disaster prevention and mitigation projects, policies,\npriorities and programs, with suggested implementation schedules, which\noutline federal, state and local roles;\n  (3) suggested revisions and additions to building and safety codes and\nzoning and other land use programs;\n  (4) such other measures as reasonably can be taken to protect lives,\nprevent disasters, and reduce their impact.\n  b. Disaster response. Plans to coordinate the use of resources and\nmanpower for service during and after disasters and to deliver services\nto aid citizens and reduce human suffering resulting from a disaster\nshall include, but not be limited to:\n  (1) coordination of resources, manpower and services, using recognized\npractices in incident management, utilizing existing organizations and\nlines of authority and centralized direction of requests for assistance;\n  (2) the location, procurement, construction, processing,\ntransportation, storing, maintenance, renovation, distribution, disposal\nor use of materials, including those donated, and facilities and\nservices which may be required in time of disaster;\n  (3) a system for warning populations who are or may be endangered;\n  (4) arrangements for activating municipal and volunteer forces,\nthrough normal chains of command so far as possible, and for continued\ncommunication and reporting;\n  (5) a specific plan for rapid and efficient communication and for the\nintegration of local communication facilities during a disaster\nincluding the assignment of responsibilities and the establishment of\ncommunication priorities and liaison with municipal, private, state and\nfederal communication facilities;\n  (6) a plan for coordination evacuation procedures including the\nestablishment of temporary housing and other necessary facilities;\n  (7) criteria for establishing priorities with respect to the\nrestoration of vital services and debris removal;\n  (8) plans for the continued effective operation of the civil and\ncriminal justice systems;\n  (9) provisions for training local government personnel and volunteers\nin disaster response operations;\n  (10) providing information to the public;\n  (11) care for the injured and needy and identification and disposition\nof the dead;\n  (12) utilization and coordination of programs to assist victims of\ndisasters, with particular attention to the needs of the poor, the\nelderly, individuals with disabilities and other groups which may be\nespecially affected;\n  (13) control of ingress and egress to and from a disaster area,\nincluding but not limited to, exempting from travel bans those essential\nprivate and public personnel, as determined by the commission, who are\nsummoned by their employers to assist in emergency services, such as\nutility and other workers who need to reach declared emergency areas in\norder to perform tasks related to the restoration and/or maintenance of\nenergy and communications infrastructure;\n  (14) arrangements to administer state and federal disaster assistance;\n  (15) procedures under which the county, city, town, village or other\npolitical subdivision and emergency organization personnel and resources\nwill be used in the event of a disaster;\n  (16) a system for obtaining and coordinating disaster information\nincluding the centralized assessment of local disaster effects and\nresultant needs;\n  (17) continued operation of governments of political subdivisions; and\n  (18) utilization and coordination of programs to assist individuals\nwith household pets and service animals following a disaster, with\nparticular attention to means of evacuation, shelter and transportation\noptions.\n  c. Recovery. Local plans to provide for recovery and redevelopment\nafter disasters shall include, but not be limited to:\n  (1) recommendations for replacement, reconstruction, removal or\nrelocation of damaged or destroyed public or private facilities,\nproposed new or amendments to zoning, subdivision, building, sanitary or\nfire prevention regulations and recommendations for economic development\nand community development in order to minimize the impact of any\npotential future disasters on the community.\n  (2) provision for cooperation with state and federal agencies in\nrecovery efforts.\n  (3) provisions for training and educating local disaster officials or\norganizations in the preparation of applications for federal and state\ndisaster recovery assistance.\n