Findings
I, Frank H. Murkowski, Governor of the State of Alaska, make the following findings for the State of Alaska concerning pandemic influenza preparedness:
1. Pandemic influenza presents a credible and unique threat to the health and safety of the people of this state;
2. It is essential that all state agencies coordinate their efforts with local health and emergency agencies to effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from an outbreak of pandemic influenza in this state;
3. The threat of pandemic influenza affects all agencies and individuals in the state, making it imperative that those agencies work cooperatively to address the planning, training, and information needs associated with a pandemic influenza outbreak.
Order
Under the authority of art. III, secs. 1 and 24, of the Alaska Constitution, I, Frank H. Murkowski, Governor of the State of Alaska, order the following:
1. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHS&EM) shall assume overall responsibility for interagency coordination of pandemic influenza preparedness;
2. The Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health (DPH) shall assume primary functional and technical responsibility for pandemic influenza preparedness. The DPH shall prepare and maintain a public health emergency operations plan supplement to the state emergency response plan. This supplement shall include a pandemic influenza preparedness and response component;
3. The DHS&EM and the DPH shall establish an interagency incident management team (IMT) comprised of representatives from local, state, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and the private sector, as deemed necessary and appropriate to support planning and operations for pandemic influenza preparedness;
4. To the extent allowed by law, the IMT shall facilitate the coordination of all aspects of public information planning and information dissemination for the State of Alaska, as well as conducting and coordinating training and exercise activities in the state for response and recovery for pandemic influenza preparedness;
5. Each state agency shall support efforts under this Order with available personnel and monetary resources, consistent with law and available appropriations, to assist the DHS&EM and DPH in developing and executing a statewide pandemic influenza preparedness strategy and response to and recovery from a pandemic influenza outbreak;
6. If necessary, the State Emergency Coordination Center in the DHS&EM shall coordinate the state’s response to and recovery from an actual pandemic influenza outbreak, in accordance with the state emergency response plan and the DPH emergency operations plan.
This Order takes effect immediately.
DATED at Juneau, Alaska, this 9th day of January, 2006
/s/Frank H. Murkowski
Governor
