Duty Officer
HSEM assists local emergency management in a variety of emergency situations. A duty officer is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to coordinate state resources, and ensure the quickest and most complete assistance is given during actual and potential emergencies. HSEM duty officers respond to a variety of incidents, ranging from hazardous materials spills to rail accidents, bomb threats, missing persons, and severe weather. For many of the incidents, HSEM coordinates assistance with local, state, and federal government agencies and the private sector.
Back to topState Emergency Operations Center
HSEM’s response activities range from monitoring local incidents to full activation of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) at the Joint Forces Headquarters in Johnston, Iowa. At the SEOC, HSEM and other government and private sector partners coordinate state response and recovery efforts. Activations of the SEOC may last only a few hours in a small incident, or may extend for several weeks or months for large-scale disasters.
During an incident, if the need for resources has exceeded the county’s capability to provide them, HSEM may then request a Governor’s Disaster Proclamation to cover the impacted counties.
Should the disaster go beyond the capabilities of the State, the governor could then make a request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration.
Back to topGovernor's Disaster Proclamation
State resources may be activated and deployed to assist with the ongoing disaster at no cost to local jurisdictions. State resources include equipment, personnel, technical assistance/guidance, supplies, and essential services to provide assistance in the form of debris removal, traffic control, levee patrol, security, vaccines, transportation, and other emergency response and recovery capabilities. A governor’s disaster proclamation may also make assistance available to low income residents in the proclaimed counties.
View 2024 Governor's Disaster Proclamations
View Archived Governor's Disaster Proclamations from 2008-2023.
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