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Course Details
Course Name: Surviving a Declared Disaster: Making Your FEMA Application Manageable
Course Code: ER0331WB25
Date: February 26, 2025
Time: 8:30 am – 12:15 pm EST
Location: Online
Format: Live, instructor-led
Registration Fee: $165 per person
Multi-Person Discount Fee: $135 per person (Save when you sign up with a colleague!)
Registration Closes: February 24, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Paying with a check, money order, or purchase order?
Payments should be made out to: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Checks and money orders should be mailed to: Office of Continuing Professional Education, Attn: Registration Dept., 102 Ryders Ln, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8519
Purchase Orders can be mailed to the address above or electronically sent to registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.
Course Overview
Disasters don’t just happen during hurricane season. In recent years, events ranging from freak windstorms to excessively heavy rain and snow events have highlighted how vulnerable a community can be to the devastation caused by a disaster. Preparedness is not just having the right emergency equipment; it is also having the right information you need to present your case to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for appropriate financial reimbursement.
Designed with all levels of community/government personnel in mind, this course will present the basics on how to best prepare an application for the FEMA reimbursement program when a disaster is declared. Recordkeeping, discussion of the “damage definition,” and application hints and hacks will make the often-confusing process more manageable.
Be prepared – learn what you need to know before disaster strikes!
Featured Topics
- Conducting Community-wide Damage Surveys
- Debris Collection Preparation
- Categories of Damage and Related Filing Guidelines
- Photographic Recordkeeping
- Procedures for Follow Up on Post-filing Payment Requests
Meet Your Instructor
MaryEllen Lyons, CPWM, CRP
MaryEllen Lyons brings more than 25 years of work experience in the public sector to the classroom. A New Jersey Certified Public Works Manager and Certified Recycling Professional, her talent for communication and data analysis, combined with her knowledge of FEMA and state grant requirements, make her the ideal instructor for this topic. With a proven history of fostering cooperation to meet team, individual, and governmental objectives, she will offer insights and procedures that will assist you in developing both FEMA and other government-sponsored funding programs.
Student Reviews
“Everything was useful to me. All municipalities need to plan information to be ready for the emergency and submit the application to FEMA.”
– Ruby Parra, Mid-Bergen Regional Health Commission
REHS“Very thorough. [I learned the importance of] staging resources prior to the event.”
– Fred Corbitt, Passaic City Department of Public Works
Assistant Superintendent“[Instructor MaryEllen Lyons] knows here stuff! [I] didn’t know we had 18 months to submit and ask for extensions.”
– Carol Evans, Little Egg Harbor Township
Recycling CoordinatorContinuing Education Credits
The Surviving a Declared Disaster: Making Your FEMA Application Manageable course is approved for 0.3 Rutgers CEUs (3 contact hours), as well as the following credits from professional organizations.
New Jersey
NJ Certified Public Works Managers (CPWM): 3 Government Contact Hours
NJ Certified Recycling Professionals (CRPs): 3.5 Classroom recertification credits
NJ Drinking Water and Wastewater Operators: 3 TCHs (Approval #01-092202-30)
NJ Health Officers and Registered Environmental Health Specialists (HO/REHS): Rutgers University, NJAES, Office of Continuing Professional Education has been approved by the New Jersey Department of Health as a provider of NJ Public Health Continuing Education Contact Hours (CEs). Participants who complete this education program will be awarded 3.5 NJ Public Health Continuing Education Contact Hours (CEs). *NJ Public Health Continuing Education Contact Hours (CEs) are pending for the February 26, 2025 offering
Course Requirements and Policies
Technology Requirements
This online course will be delivered via Rutgers Canvas learning management system and Zoom.
Equipment you will need to access this training:
- A laptop or desktop computer is required for this class.
- Speakers and microphone are not necessary as a call-in option is available.
Once you register with OCPE, you will receive an email from “Rutgers University Canvas” saying, “Click here to finish the registration process,” to create your new account in the Canvas Virtual Platform. If you do not see this message in your inbox, please check your junk/spam folder.
Email Requirement
A unique email address is required for each registrant to register and access our courses.
- If this is your first time registering with us, please provide your own unique email address when registering; do not provide an email address that you share with co-workers.
- If you have previously taken classes with us and have used an email address that you share with your co-workers or supervisor, your account must be updated with a unique email address. To do this, please send an email to us at registration@njaes.rutgers.edu stating that your email address needs to be changed and include:
- Your full name
- The shared email address that needs to be changed
- Your unique email address
- A phone number where you can be reached if we have any questions
Photo ID Requirement
Each registrant will be asked provide a photo of him/herself holding their government-issued photo ID. This is required by credit boards so that you may receive credits for participating in this online course.
- You will receive a reminder email prior to the start of the class with further instructions. Wait to receive these instructions before you attempt to upload your ID.
- The photo must be clear enough that we can read your name and verify that the person pictured on the ID is in fact the person holding it.
- After an OCPE staff member reviews the picture and verifies your identity, you will have access to participate in the course when it begins.
Cancellations and Substitutions
A $50 cancellation fee applies for this course. Substitutions are permitted. View our cancellation policy.
Program Questions? We’re Here to Help!
If you have any questions about Surviving a Declared Disaster: Making Your FEMA Application Manageable, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Assistant Director: Carol Broccoli
848-932-7207
carolbr@njaes.rutgers.edu
Administrative Assistant: Claudine Oleskin
848-932-7204
coleskin@njaes.rutgers.edu
For registration assistance, please contact our Registration Department at 848-932-9271, option 2 or email registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.
