STATE DROUGHT PREPAREDNESS PLAN.

(a) The drought preparedness council shall develop and implement a comprehensive state drought preparedness plan for mitigating the effects of drought in the state and shall periodically update the plan. The plan shall be separate from the state water plan.

(b) The plan shall provide for:

(1) timely and systematic data collection, analysis, and dissemination of drought-related information;

(2) an organizational structure that:

(A) assures information flow between and within levels of government;

(B) defines the duties and responsibilities of all agencies with respect to drought; and

(C) assures coordination between the state and federal governments through integration with applicable national drought policies;

(3) maintenance of an inventory of state and federal programs for assessing and responding to drought emergencies, together with updated recommendations regarding appropriate action;

(4) a mechanism to improve the timely and accurate assessment of drought impact on agriculture, industry, municipalities, wildlife, and the health of the natural resource base;

(5) provision of accurate and timely information to the media to keep the public informed of current conditions; and

(6) procedures to evaluate and revise the plan on a continuous basis to keep the plan responsive to state needs.

(c) The state drought manager shall use existing resources to develop an information and communications network to forecast and inform interested parties and the public of the potential for drought, including programs and staff of state agencies and other political subdivisions and of state institutions of higher education.