Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 52, December 24, 2024
WHEREAS, section
20, subdivision
(1)(c) of the
Executive Law provides that state and local natural disaster and emergency
response functions be coordinated in order to bring the fullest protection and
benefit to the people;
WHEREAS, section
21 of the
Executive Law created in the executive department a Disaster Preparedness
Commission charged with studying all aspects of man-made or natural disaster
prevention, response and recovery, preparing State disaster preparedness plans,
to be approved by the Governor, and directing State disaster operations and
coordinating State disaster operations with local disaster operations following
the declaration of a State disaster emergency;
WHEREAS, having determined that there is a need to
reconstitute the State Drought Management Task Force in order for it to
properly coordinate drought related activities and provide the Governor, State
Disaster Preparedness Commission, and State Agency Heads with information
needed to judge the degree of emergency and appropriate State response;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE E. PATAKI, Governor of the State
of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
Laws of the State of New York, do hereby reconstitute the State Drought
Management Task Force as follows:
I.
Definitions
A. "Drought Watch" shall mean the
first stage of a developing drought event. This stage is declared by the
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) based on the Drought Forecasting
Plan.
B. "Drought Warning" shall
mean the second stage of a impending or imminent severe drought event. This
stage is also declared by the DEC based on the Drought Forecasting Plan. Other
State agencies will respond as specified below and as detailed in the Drought
Management Coordination Plan.
C.
"Drought Emergency" shall mean the third stage of existing severe and
persistent drought conditions. This stage is declared by the State Disaster
Preparedness Commission (DPC) who shall notify the effected public of actions
to be taken.
D. "Drought Disaster"
shall mean the fourth and most severe stage of persistent drought conditions at
which a significant proportion of communities in the impacted area are unable
to respond adequately. In response, an Executive Declaration and Order by the
Governor may be necessary to marshal personnel and State resources.
E. "Drought Forecasting Plan" shall mean a
plan to evaluate regional drought conditions using indicators such as
precipitation deficits, surface and groundwater levels, reservoir storage and
soil moisture conditions.
F.
"Drought Management Coordination Plan" or "the Plan" shall mean a plan to
coordinate and implement the State and local response during drought
conditions.
G. "State Agency" shall
mean any State department, board, bureau, division, commission, committee,
public authority, public benefit corporation, council, office or other
governmental entity performing a governmental or proprietary function for the
State.
H. "State Agency Head" shall
mean the commissioner, chairman, chief executive officer, or highest ranking
official for any "State Agency," as defined in subdivision (G) above.
I. "State Emergency Management Office" or
"SEMO" shall mean the disaster and civil defense agency within the Division of
Military and Naval Affairs as named in Executive Order No. 32, promulgated on
December 29, 1983, as continued by Executive Order No. 3, promulgated on
January 5, 1995.
J. "Task Force"
shall mean the State Drought Management Task Force.
II. Establishment of the State Drought
Management Task Force
There is hereby established, under the jurisdiction of the
DPC, a State Drought Management Task Force consisting of five voting members.
The five voting members shall include the director of SEMO, who shall serve as
the chairperson of the Task Force, and the commissioners of Environmental
Conservation, Health, and Agriculture and Markets, and the chairperson of the
State Thruway Authority. A Task Force member may designate a representative to
attend meetings, in his or her place, and to act on his or her behalf. The
members of the Task Force shall receive no additional compensation for services
rendered pursuant to this Order. The mission of the Task Force is to provide
the DPC with information needed to judge the degree of emergency and
appropriate response.
III.
Responsibilities of the State Drought Management Task Force
The State Drought Management Task Force shall have the
following duties and responsibilities:
A. to approve the State Drought Management
Coordination Plan and periodically recommend and approve updates to such
Plan;
B. to coordinate drought
related activities in accordance with the Plan;
C. to recommend declarations of drought
emergency to the DPC;
D. to meet as
needed to ensure adequate State response to drought conditions;
E. to develop drought contingency plans in
cooperation with local, State and Federal agencies;
F. to develop and maintain a list of
available resources for meeting drought needs, including an inventory of
available Federal programs; and
G.
to recommend needs for legislation, funds or other actions to improve State
drought-response capabilities.
IV. Responsibilities of Individual Task Force
Members
Individual Task Force members shall participate in DPC
drought-response activities and have specific areas of responsibility
including, but not limited to, the following:
A. State Emergency Management Office i) to
prepare the State Drought Management Coordination Plan;
ii) to chair the Task Force and schedule
meetings as needed, including at least one meeting a month during drought
warning conditions and at least two meetings a month during a drought
emergency;
iii) to, as directed by the Task
Force, coordinate drought related activities with appropriate local, State and
Federal agencies;
iv) to
prepare drought updates and generally disseminate drought-related
information;
v) to advise and
respond to drought-affected communities and coordinate implementation of
recommended water-use restrictions; and vi) to maintain and make available
stockpiles of pipe, pumps and other water transport and treatment equipment for
use during emergency situations.
B. Department of Environmental Conservation
i) to prepare a State Drought Forecasting Plan;
ii) to monitor and evaluate technical data
regarding meteorological and hydrological conditions from available sources on
a regular basis;
iii) to determine the
current drought status for each region of the State;
iv) to declare drought watches and drought
warnings on a statewide or regional basis;
v) to advise the Task Force during drought
conditions and provide technical support;
vi) to coordinate State Drought declarations
with interstate commissions; and vii) to ensure the protection of aquatic
habitats during drought events.
C. Department of Health i) to review and
approve requests for use of equipment from the SEMO stockpile;
ii) to monitor surface water and groundwater
supply storage levels once a month;
iii) to
intensify monitoring of drinking water supplies during drought
events;
iv) to timely
report water supply levels to the DEC for incorporation into the calculation of
drought indices;
v) to obtain and
review drought emergency plans from community water systems within drought
affected areas and ensure that community water systems act in accordance with
such plans.
D.
Department of Agriculture and Markets i) to ensure that agriculture receives
appropriate access to non-potable water supplies during drought events;
ii) to coordinate and consult with Soil and
Water Conservation Districts in assessing local groundwater conditions;
iii) to assist in coordinating crop failure
data compiled by county cooperative extensions;
iv) to timely provide DEC and the Task Force
with agricultural drought information.
E. Thruway Authority i) to report to the Task
Force regarding the availability of canals and reservoirs to provide water to
drought-affected regions of the State; and ii) to coordinate with SEMO on the
availability of Thruway equipment for pumping and transporting water.
V. Assistance From Other Agencies
The Task Force may seek and shall receive from any other
state agency any assistance necessary for the fulfillment of its
responsibilities under this Order. Such assistance may include, but is not
limited to, technical assistance, information, personnel, and equipment. All
State agency recommendations for the declaration of a drought emergency shall
be coordinated through the Task Force. The Task Force may seek advice and/or
assistance from Federal and local agencies, such as the U.S. Geological Survey,
or municipal agencies.
VI.
Voting
Only after a unanimous, affirmative vote of the Task Force,
may a recommendation for the declaration of a drought emergency be made by the
Task Force to the DPC.
Signed: George E. PatakiDated: January 7,
2002
