§ 58-81. Emergency declaration.

(a)

Grant of authority. In the event of an actual or threatened occurrence of a disaster or emergency, which may result in the large-scale loss of life, injury, property damage or destruction or in the major disruption of routine community affairs, business or governmental operations in the county and which is of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant extraordinary assistance by federal, state and local departments and agencies to supplement the efforts of available public and private resources, the chairman of the board of commissioners may declare a local emergency for Paulding County. The form of the declaration shall be similar to that provided in section 58-83.

(b)

Request for state assistance. Consistent with a declaration of local emergency, the chairman may request the governor to provide assistance, provided that the disaster or emergency is beyond the capacity of the county to meet adequately and state assistance is necessary to supplement local efforts to save lives and protect property, public health and safety, or to avert or lessen the threat of a disaster.

(c)

Continuance. The declaration of local emergency shall continue until the chairman finds that emergency conditions no longer exist, at which time, the chairman shall execute and file with the clerk of the board of commissioners a document marking the end of the state of emergency. No state of local emergency shall continue for longer than 30 days, unless renewed by the chair. The board of commissioners may, by resolution, end a state of local emergency at any time.

(Res. No. 12-15, § 2, 7-10-2012)