Civil Defence Act (Joan of What?)

The National and Civil Defence Procedures Establishment Act, more commonly known as the Civil Defence Act (CDA), is a Cygnian Act of Congress passed by Congress on 17 June 1950, by Chancellor Derrick Mayweather on 23 June, and commenced by Imperial Assent on 30 June 1950. The Civil Defence Act established a standardised National Emergency Warning System and National Evacuation Plan in the event of emergencies, both regional and national, and also provided for a quinquennial testing program for both. The Civil Defence Act was part of the Mayweather administration's plan in the aftermath of the Great Australian War to see to it that the devastation to Cygnian civilian life seen in that conflict would never again occur in the future.

Full text
IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE EMPIRE OF THE UNITED CYGNIAN STATES The Honourable Roland Arbuckle, Member for the 231st District, for the Right Honourable Chancellor Derrick Mayweather, introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Public Safety.

AN ACT To establish, for the purposes of maintaining National Security, nationally standardised Civil Defence Procedures, and to provide for a regular program through which said Procedures can be normalised to ensure optimum safety of Citizens in the event of an Emergency.

Be it enacted by the Senate and the National Assembly of the Empire of the United Cygnian States in this Congress assembled:

Section 1: This Act shall hereafter be referred to as the National and Civil Defence Procedures Establishment Act

Section 2: Upon enactment, a standardised National Emergency Warning System and National Evacuation Plan shall be established to ensure the safety of civilian life in the event of an emergency.
 * Section 2a: The National Emergency Warning System shall consist of sirens installed in all major cities and regional centres of Cygnia. These sirens shall be capable of producing an output of no less than 138 dBC at 30 metres. These sirens will be replaced every twenty years or as new technologies allow for more advanced and effective replacements. The National Emergency Warning System shall also consist of radio and television announcements which when activated will be immediately aired on all stations and channels; interruptions of normal programming must be tolerated for the sake of National Security.
 * Section 2b: The National Evacuation Plan shall be instituted as a standardised Plan for the Evacuation of Civilians in the event of an emergency. In addition, unique Municipal Evacuation Plans shall also be designed and issued to each settlement of more than 10,000 persons. Each Municipal Evacuation Plan must account for different emergency scenarios each such settlement may face, including such natural disasters as flooding, earthquakes, cyclones, etc. The National Evacuation Plan shall be designed as a general Plan for the entire nation, in the event that the nation itself becomes subject to an emergency, especially an airstrike or invasion.

Section 3: The National Emergency Warning System shall be subjected to a short test once a year, on the first Tuesday of February.

Section 4: In addition, the National Emergency Warning System and National Evacuation Plan shall be subjected to an extended test once every five years. The date shall be selected by the National Defence Council on the first day of the year the test is scheduled to occur, and prior to the test the date shall be classified, to ensure maximum effect of the test, and that the Citizenry does not become complacent to the regularity of the tests.
 * Section 4a: During these tests, all persons within Cygnian borders will be required to participate in said tests and to comply with all instructions as given in the announcements during said tests. Civilians who are found to be disregarding the tests will be fined up to 50 Cygnian Sovereigns.
 * Section 4b: To ensure maximum realism of these tests, all providers of electricity, water, gas and other utilities will be required to block power distribution to the power grid, unless it is unsafe or incredibly dangerous to do so.
 * Section 4c: To provide for the enforcement of Section 4a, officers of the Police Departments on duty at the time of the tests will be exempted from the them.
 * Section 4d: Transportation in and out of Cygnia will be suspended for the duration of the tests, including air travel. Aircraft on final approach or which are low on fuel when the test is announced will be permitted to land; crewmen and passengers, however, will be required to participate in the tests in accordance with Section 4a. Other air traffic will be required to enter a holding pattern until the end of the test and resumption of normal activity.