<div class="chunk-title">Sec. 20-1. - Definitions.</div>
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               The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the
               meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates
               a different meaning:
               
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            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Director</span> means the director of the county department of emergency management, designated as
               prescribed in this chapter.
               
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               <span class="ital">Disaster</span> means a gubernatorial declaration that the impact or anticipated impact of an emergency
               constitutes a disaster of one of the types enumerated in G.S. 16A-19.21(b).
               
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               <span class="ital">Emergency</span> means an occurrence or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or
               loss of life or property resulting from any natural or manmade, accidental, military,
               paramilitary, weather-related, or riot-related cause.
               
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               <span class="ital">Emergency area</span> means the geographical area covered by a state of emergency.
               
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               <span class="ital">Emergency management</span> means those measures taken by the populace and governments at federal, state, and
               local levels to minimize the adverse effect of any type emergency, which includes
               the never-ending preparedness cycle of planning, prevention, mitigation, warning,
               movement, shelter, emergency assistance, and recovery.
               
            </p>
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               <span class="ital">Emergency management forces</span> means the employees, equipment and facilities of all county departments, boards,
               councils, institutions and commissions; and, in addition, it shall include all volunteer
               personnel, equipment and facilities contributed by, or obtained from, volunteer persons
               or agencies.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Emergency management volunteer</span> means any person duly registered, identified and appointed by the director of the
               county department of emergency management and assigned to participate in emergency
               management activity.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Regulations</span> means plans, programs, and other emergency procedures deemed essential to emergency
               management.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">State of emergency</span> means a finding and declaration by any of the following authorities that an emergency
               exists:
               
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                  (1)
                  
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                  The governor, acting under the authority of G.S. 166A-19.20.
                  
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                  (2)
                  
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                  The General Assembly, acting under the authority of G.S. 166A-19.20.
                  
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                  (3)
                  
               </p>
               		
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                  The governing body of a municipality or the mayor of a municipality, acting under
                  the authority of G.S. 166A-19.22.
                  
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                  (4)
                  
               </p>
               		
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                  The governing body of a county or the chair of the board of commissioners of a county,
                  acting under the authority of G.S. 166A-19.22.
                  
               </p>
               		
               
            
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               <span class="ital">Volunteer</span> means contributing a service, equipment, or facility to the emergency management
               agency without remuneration.
               
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            <p class="historynote0">
               (Code 1993, Â§ 20-1)
               
            </p></div>