# Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.010: 44.010 Definitions > Missouri · Statutes · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.010 ## Section - **Citation:** Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.010 - **Heading:** 44.010 Definitions - **Jurisdiction:** Missouri - **Kind:** Statutes - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** MO Code / Chapter 44 / Section 44.010 ## Text 44.010. Definitions. — As used in sections 44.010 to 44.130 , the following terms mean: (1) "Agency" , the state emergency management agency; (2) "Bioterrorism" , the intentional use of any microorganism, virus, infectious substance, or biological product that may be engineered as a result of biotechnology, or any naturally occurring or bioengineered component of any such microorganism, virus, infectious substance, or biological product, to cause death, disease, or other biological malfunction in a human, an animal, a plant, or another living organism in order to influence the conduct of government or to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (3) "Director" , the director of the state emergency management agency; (4) "Disasters" , disasters which may result from terrorism, including bioterrorism, or from fire, wind, flood, earthquake, or other natural or man-made causes; (5) "Economic or geographic area" , an area or areas within the state, or partly in this state and adjacent states, comprising political subdivisions grouped together for purposes of administration, organization, control or disaster recovery and rehabilitation in time of emergency; (6) "Emergency" , any state of emergency declared by proclamation by the governor, or by resolution of the legislature pursuant to sections 44.010 to 44.130 upon the actual occurrence of a natural or man-made disaster of major proportions within this state when the safety and welfare of the inhabitants of this state are jeopardized; (7) "Emergency management" , government at all levels performing emergency functions, other than functions for which military forces are primarily responsible; (8) "Emergency management functions" , "emergency management activities" and "emergency management service" , those functions required to prepare for and carry out actions to prevent, minimize and repair injury and damage due to disasters, to include emergency management of resources and administration of such economic controls as may be needed to provide for the welfare of the people, either on order of or at the request of the federal government, or in the event the federal government is incapable of administering such control; (9) "Emergency resources planning and management" , planning for, management and coordination of national, state and local resources; (10) "Executive officer of any political subdivision" , the county commission or county supervisor or the mayor or other manager of the executive affairs of any city, town, village or fire protection district; (11) "Local organization for emergency management" , any organization established under this law by any county or by any city, town, or village to perform local emergency management functions; (12) "Management" , the activities of the emergency management director in the implementation of emergency operations plans during time of emergency; (13) "Planning" , activities of the state and local emergency management agency in the formulation of emergency management plans to be used in time of emergency; (14) "Political subdivision" , any county or city, town or village, or any fire district created by law; (15) "Urban search and rescue task force" , any entity whose primary responsibility is to locate, remove, and provide medical care to persons in collapsed buildings. (L. 1951 p. 536 § 26.140, Reenacted L. 1953 p. 553, Reenacted L. 1955 p. 607, A.L. 1961 p. 483, A.L. 1967 p. 122, A.L. 1998 S.B. 743, A.L. 2002 S.B. 712, A.L. 2016 S.B. 732) ## Nearby sections - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.010 44.010 Definitions.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.010.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.020 44.020 State emergency management agency created.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.020.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.022 44.022 Powers and duties of governor.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.022.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.023 44.023 Disaster volunteer program established, agency's duties — expenses — ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.023.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.024 44.024 Public safety director to head emergency management agency.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.024.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.028 44.028 State may accept federal goods and services on behalf of itself and its ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.028.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.032 44.032 Emergency powers of governor, uses — Missouri disaster fund, funding, ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.032.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.035 44.035 Persons with health-related ailments, voluntary county registry for ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.035.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.045 44.045 Health care professionals may be deployed during a state of emergency — ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.045.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.080 44.080 All political subdivisions shall establish a local emergency management ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.080.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.087 44.087 Assistance requests from agencies outside district — arrests outside ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.087.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.090 44.090 Mutual-aid agreements — participation in statewide mutual aid system — ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.090.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.091 44.091 Mutual aid agreements, powers of arrest — law enforcement deemed employee ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.091.md) - [Mo. Rev. Stat. § 44.095 44.095 Mutual aid agreement with Kansas — definitions — requests for assistance — ...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.095.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MO_C44_S44.010. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.