Iowa Code Title I. State Sovereignty and Management [Chs. 1-38D] § 29C.2. Definitions

1. “Commission” means a local emergency management commission or joint emergency management commission.

2. “Department” means the department of homeland security and emergency management.

3. “Director” means the director of the department of homeland security and emergency management.

4. “Disaster” means man-made and natural occurrences, such as fire, flood, drought, earthquake, tornado, windstorm, hazardous substance or nuclear power plant accident or incident, which threaten the public peace, health, and safety of the people or which damage and destroy public or private property. The term includes attack, sabotage, or other hostile action from within or without the state.

5. “Homeland security” means the detection, prevention, preemption, deterrence of, and protection from attacks targeted at state territory, population, and infrastructure.

6. “Local emergency management agency” means a countywide joint county-municipal public safety agency organized to administer this chapter under the authority of a commission.

7. “Mass notification and emergency messaging system” means a system which disseminates emergency and public safety-related information to the public by various means including but not limited to telephone, wireless communications service, dual party relay service or telecommunications device, text messaging, electronic mail, and facsimile, and which integrates with federal emergency messaging systems.

8. “Public disorder” means such substantial interference with the public peace as to constitute a significant threat to the health and safety of the people or a significant threat to public or private property. The term includes insurrection, rioting, looting, and persistent violent civil disobedience.