This course is to provide an introduction to flood risk-reduction opportunity enhancement within coastal communities and island environments; and to provide an opportunity to apply innovative strategies in coastal management to reduce flood risk. The course will introduce capabilities (approaches and tools) that support coastal prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The course aims to reach public and private decision-makers who impact or are impacted by coastal environments.

This training course will provide state and local government agency staff and other stakeholder groups with background on natural hazards. In addition, the course will guide an approach to (1) assess community resilience and (2) develop next steps for improved resilience. Through increased awareness of natural hazards and best practices, the course will enhance community resilience for state and local government agency staff that routinely interface with the community, private sector, and other stakeholder groups.

This course enhances the ability of the various individuals who hold leadership positions in the community to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from all forms of disaster. This course will help to enhance these individuals’ understanding of disasters, risk assessment in the context of disaster management, prevailing emergency management procedures and operations, and the different vulnerability factors that exist within their local community.

This course will provide general guidance to help participants navigate the FAA regulations and application process required to integrate UAS legally and effectively. Participants will learn what is covered under UAS regulations, who may operate UAS, what FAA authorization allows, and what the major issues are for UAS integration. The course materials will familiarize participants with the main types and capabilities of rotary and fixed-wing UAS, as well as the types of payloads and missions that generally are best for each with examples of how certain payloads have been or could be used in relevant situations to aid in disaster management.