The National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia University has been awarded U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants since 2016. These programs have focused on mass care community sheltering and relocation assistance, pandemic preparedness and response, post-disaster economic and housing recovery, and Tribal Nations readiness and resilience. The trainings highlight best practices and lessons learned for emergency managers, community groups, and the general public.
The free curricula, available across the U.S. in both instructor-led and web-based modalities, include several collaborative activities, planning tools, tool kits, and geographic information system resources that learners can incorporate into their work practices. To find out more about this training program or to register for an instructor-led or web-based course, please visit our newly designed and interactive Training Center Portal.
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Recent hurricanes, unprecedented flooding, wildfires, and the COVID-19 pandemic have underscored the need for more training programs geared toward extreme weather, business continuity planning, economic impact analysis, financial literacy, housing disaster case management, pandemic planning in mass care settings, and the transition of disaster survivors from temporary to permanent housing. Needs assessments conducted by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness have highlighted the lack of trainings in these areas. These free training programs are an effort to initiate new dialogues about how federal, state, local, and tribal/territorial partners can collaborate across sectors on economic and housing issues, mass care and sheltering, and pandemic planning while addressing the needs of vulnerable populations.
These courses look at the roles and responsibilities of preparedness and response partners in carrying out sheltering, evacuation, and relocation operations. About this training program (PDF).
Trainings are designed to help the learner plan and address the needs for mass sheltering operations during multiple disasters and/or during a pandemic. These trainings highlight best practices and lessons learned for pandemic planning in mass care settings, with a specific focus on the needs of society’s most vulnerable. About this training program (PDF).
These trainings focus on ways to better foster financial literacy for both families and businesses. Through the introduction of a SWOT Analysis (Skills-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats), the curriculum helps families and organizations identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to financial planning for post-disaster economic recovery. A series of case studies pertaining to financial decision-making is provided, along with several federal programs for which disaster survivors can apply for financial assistance.
Tribal Nations have historically been affected by disasters but without access to vital resources before, during, and afterward. In 2023, NCDP was awarded an additional three-year training grant to create a curriculum on Tribal Nations’ Readiness and Resilience to address this need. Trainings will address preparedness gaps consistent with cultures, values, governance structures, and doctrine to improve readiness and resilience. These trainings will help close the gap in preparedness in Tribal Nations to foster training capabilities. About this training program (PDF).
FEMA’s National Training and Education Division (NTED) offers a full catalog of courses at no cost. Visit the National Training and Education Division (NTED) website (www.firstrespondertraining.gov) for a full list of FEMA NTED courses.
†This project is supported by Cooperative Agreements EMW-2021-CA-00092, EMW-2021-CA-00093, EMW-2022-CA-00037, EMW-2023-CA-05322, and EMW-2024-CA-05117 administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
All training requires participants to register for a FEMA Student Identification (SID) Number before attending: https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/register.
