There is created in the state treasury a state disaster relief fund. Moneys in the fund are to be used subject to legislative appropriations for providing the required state share of funding for expenses and administration associated with emergency response operations conducted by the department of emergency services, a declaration of a state of disaster or emergency issued by the governor in accordance with section 37-17.1-05, federal emergency management agency disaster response, recovery, and mitigation grants, and for the purposes of reimbursing costs under section 37-17.1-28. Any interest or other fund earnings must be deposited in the fund. Before any expenditure is made from the fund, the agency authorized to make the expenditure shall provide information on the purpose and payee of the expenditure to the appropriation committees of the house of representatives and senate or to the budget section if the legislative assembly is not in session.
37-17.1-28. Wide area search and rescue activities - Powers and duties of local officials - Costs. 1. The chief law enforcement officer of each political subdivision is responsible for local wide area search and rescue activities. The operation of a wide area search and rescue activity must be in accordance with state and local operations plans adopted by the governing body of each subdivision. A state or local operations plan must specify the use of the incident command system for a multiagency or multijurisdictional search and rescue operation. The local emergency management director shall notify the department of emergency services of each wide area search and rescue mission. The local emergency management director shall work in a coordinating capacity directly supporting all wide area search and rescue activities in that political subdivision and in registering each emergency search and rescue worker for employee status. The chief law enforcement official of each political subdivision may restrict access to a specific search and rescue area to personnel authorized by the chief law enforcement official. Access may be restricted only for the time necessary to accomplish the search and rescue mission. An unauthorized person may not interfere with a search and rescue mission. 2. If a search and rescue activity results in the discovery of a deceased individual or if any search and rescue worker assists in the recovery of human remains, the chief law enforcement official of the political subdivision shall ensure compliance with chapter 11-19.1. 3. Upon authorization by the governor and approval of costs by the director of the division of homeland security and emergency management, expenses incurred in meeting a contingency or emergency arising from a wide area search and rescue operation may be reimbursed under section 37-17.1-22 or 37-17.1-27.