Lancaster Township supervisors approved an intergovernmental agreement Monday that sets up participation in a newly incorporated emergency management agency.

Supervisors previously approved the bylaws for the Seneca Area EMA, which will ultimately consist of Jackson and Lancaster townships, as well as Harmony and Zelienople boroughs. However, the four municipalities must also to approve the agreement.

At least one other municipality — Zelienople — has also approved the agreement.

Municipal EMAs are responsible for the mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery from natural, technological and man-made disasters such as floods, tornados or pandemics.

Disaster declaration

The board further ratified the township's declaration of a disaster emergency and extended it through May 18, the date of the next regularly scheduled board meeting.

Disaster declarations release municipalities from certain requirements, such as bidding out contracts, and make the communities eligible for state and federal disaster relief funds, should they become available.

“It's a unique time period for all of us,” Supervisor Kris Kneiss said. “It's kind of a new situation, so we're trying to be patient and work through it and keep the township's best interests in mind as we work through it.”

Lancaster joins a slew of other municipalities who have declared emergencies, as now virtually all in the county's southeastern sector have issued such declarations.