This course is primarily for local floodplain administrators and any other local public works, planning, or emergency management staff who may have responsibilities during or after a flooding event. The main objectives of this course are to educate people regarding their responsibilities post-flooding and about assistance available through the state and federal governments; identify barriers and needs and potential solutions to address them; and prepare communities for implementing what they have learned.

This free course will be delivered in one 3 hour virtual Zoom session on May 9th, 2024 from 1 PM-4 PM. 

Please reach out to Sara Brostrom (bros461@ecy.wa.gov) if you require an accommodation for this training (audio, visual, mobility, or other). 

Instructors

Kayla Eicholtz is a floodplain management planner with the Department of Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office. She provides technical assistance to local governments implementing the NFIP and assists in local floodplain planning efforts. Prior to joining Ecology, she worked in local emergency planning for the Washington Emergency Management Division. She has her B.S. in Environmental Science, a Master of Science in Environmental Science with a focus in ecology and conservation, and a Master of Public Affairs.

Amanda Richardson is a senior floodplain management planner at the Washington Department of Ecology and serves as the state’s National Flood Insurance Program coordinator, working closely with FEMA Region 10. Amanda has worked on watershed health and regulatory stormwater and floodplain issues for 14 years at the state and local government levels, as well as with nonprofit organizations. She is originally from southern Idaho, has lived and worked all over the western U.S., and spent time overseas as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal and as an English teacher in Thailand.

Tim Cook manages disaster mitigation grant programs and coordinates disaster response and recovery services for state and federal agencies. He is also active in humanitarian and international development efforts, as well as local community service projects. He has over a decade of experience planning, implementing, and evaluating a variety of programs in the public and private sectors – especially ones focused on community development, at-risk population services, disaster preparednesss, and response/recovery.

Joel Haarstad manages a section of nearly 60 full-time staff and more than 30 disaster reservists. Before joining the WA Emergency Management Division, Joel served in the military for 24 years. He has over 15 years of experience in management and leadership, including extensive experience leading projects and managing staff and operations in complex and rapidly changing environments.