Spring 2026
Disaster Recovery
Approved: TNS 1/16/26 Disaster Recovery (EMAP 2355) CREDIT 3 Semester Credit Hours (3 hours lecture, 0 hours lab) MODE OF INSTRUCTION Online PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: None COURSE DESCRIPTION Policies, concepts, and procedures of recovery. Addresses the various federal and state assistance programs. Emphasizes coordination of damage assessment, preparing documentation, and recovery procedures. This course covers material from the Texas Department of Emergency Management and the former Federal Emergency Management Agency course G620 COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. Analyze policies, concepts, and procedures of recovery. 2. Develop a Disaster recovery plan 3. Research best practices INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Tim Ocnaschek Email: twocnaschek@lit.edu Office Phone: 409-839-2968 Office Location: Technology Center (TC) – Room 116 Office Hours: BY APPOINTMENT REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS 1. Disaster Recovery by B. Phillips, 2nd edition. CRC Press. (ISBN number is 978-1-4665-8384-9) 2. All students must register with FEMA and obtain a Student Identification Number (SID; https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/register ATTENDANCE POLICY 1. Except for the introductory week, weekly discussion assignments are due by Wednesday at midnight. Responses to classmate(s) are due by midnight Saturday. Tests are due by midnight Sunday. 2. Discussion assignments must be submitted in the following format: Course name, Student name, and date as a header. Answers must be in paragraph format and single spaced if done in Blackboard but double-spaced if attached. Either way, the response is limited to a 100-word minimum and 250 word maximum 3. The Final Project paper is due the week before Finals. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. COURSE CALENDAR DATE TOPIC READINGS (Due on this Date) ASSIGNMENTS (Due on this Date) Week 1 Introduction and foundations • Initial Intro Discussion 1 • Discussion response(s) • Read Chapter 1: Introduction • Chapter 1 - Discussion 1 • Chapter 1 Discussion Responses • Post by Jan 21 • Post by Jan 24 • Post by Jan 21 • Post by Jan 24 Week 2 Foundations continued • Read Chapter 2: Conceptual, Theoretical, and Practical Approaches to Disaster Recovery • Chapter 2 – Discussion 1 • Chapter 2- Discussion responses • Read Chapter 10 – Social Psychological Recovery • Chapter 10, Discussion 1 • Post by Jan 28 • Post by Jan 31 • Post by Jan 28 • Chapter 2 – Discussion 1 Responses • Test 1 covering Chapters 1, 2 and 10) • Post by Jan 31 • Post by Feb 1 Week 3 Recovery Planning and Short-Term Recovery Issues • Read Chapter 3- Disaster Recovery Planning • Chapter 3- Discussion 1 • Chapter 3-Discussion 2 • Chapter 3- Discussion 1 Responses • Chapter 3- Discussion 2 Responses • Read Chapter 4: Debris Management • Chapter 4- Discussion 1 • Chapter 4- Discussion 1 Responses • Post by Feb 4 • Post by Feb 4 • Post by Feb 7 • Post by Feb 7 • Post by Feb 4 • Post by Feb 7 Week 4 Recovery Planning and Short-Term Recovery Issues Continued • Review FEMA IS-559- Disaster Assessment • Read Chapter 5- Environmental Recovery • Chapter 5– Discussion 1 • Chapter 5– Discussion Response • Post by Feb 11 • Post by Feb 14 Week 5 Recovery Planning and Short-Term Recovery Issues Continued • Read Chapter 6- Historic and Cultural Resources • Chapter 6- Discussion 1 • Chapter 6-Discussion Responses • Post by Feb 18 • Post by Feb 21 • TEST 2 (over chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and IS 559) • Post by Feb 22 Week 6 Housing and the Public Sector • Read Chapter 7- Housing • Chapter 7- Discussion 1 • Chapter 7- Discussion Responses • Read Chapter 8- Business Recovery • Chapter 8- Discussion 1 • Chapter 8- Discussion Responses • Read Chapter 9- Infrastructure and Lifelines • Chapter 9- Discussion 1 • Chapter 9- Discussion Responses • TEST 3 (over Chapters 7,8 and 9) • Post by Feb 25 • Post by Feb 28 • Post by Feb 25 • Post by Feb 28 • Post by Feb 25 • Post by Feb 28 • Post by Mar 1 Week 7 Housing and the Public Sector Continued • Read Chapter 11- Public Sector Recovery • Chapter 11- Discussion 1 • Chapter 11- Discussion Responses • Review FEMA IS-2900.a- National Disaster Response Framework (NDRF) Overview • TEST 4 (over Chapter 11 and IS-2900) • Post by Mar 4 • Post by Mar 7 • Post by Mar 8 SPRING BREAK MARCH 9-13 Week 8 Debris Planning • Read Chapter 12- Donations • Chapter 12- Discussion 1 • Read Chapter 13- Community Resources • OPTIONAL review and Test from FEMA IS-660- Introduction to Public-Private Partnerships for extra credit • TEST 5 (over Chapters 12, 13 and 14) • Post by Mar 17 • Post by Mar 17 • Post by Mar 19 COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: • Unit Tests- 60% • Course Assignments- 40% • Discussion assignments must be submitted in the following format: Course name, Student name, and date as a header. Answers must be in paragraph format and double-spaced with a 100 word minimum and 250 word maximum. • After each assignment post, a feedback post is required to at least one fellow student. Lack of a feedback post will result in a 20 point reduction for the assignment grade. Repeated refusal to submit feedback will result in a 30 point reduction for the assignment grade. • Assignments will be graded up to 7 days after the due date with a 10 point penalty. Assignments later than 7 days will be assessed a 0. • I will drop the lowest two weekly assignment grades. • I will drop the lowest test grade. • There are several FEMA Independent Study courses covered in this class. Upon submission of a FEMA certificate indicating successful completion of the online course, I will add 5 points to the individual test score over that section of the course. • Tests will be automatically grade and recorded in Blackboard. • Your final grade will be the average of your weekly discussions, tests and the Final Project • AI tools should not be used GRADE SCALE • 90-100 A • 80-89 B • 70-79 C • 60-69 D • 0-59 F TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc. can be online at https://lit.edu/online-learning/online-learning-minimum-computer-requirements. A functional broadband internet connection, such as DSL, cable, or WiFi is necessary to maximize the use of online technology and resources. DISABILITIES STATEMENT The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are federal anti-discrimination statutes that provide comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. LIT provides reasonable accommodations as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to students with a diagnosed disability. The Special Populations Office is located in the Eagles’ Nest Room 129 and helps foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment by maintaining partnerships with faculty and staff, as well as promoting awareness among all members of the Lamar Institute of Technology community. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (409)-951-5708 or email specialpopulations@lit.edu. You may also visit the online resource at Special Populations - Lamar Institute of Technology (lit.edu). STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STATEMENT It is the responsibility of all registered Lamar Institute of Technology students to access, read, understand and abide by all published policies, regulations, and procedures listed in the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook. The LIT Catalog and Student Handbook may be accessed at www.lit.edu. Please note that the online version of the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook supersedes all other versions of the same document. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recognizes the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, have changed the landscape of many career disciplines and will impact many students in and out of the classroom. To prepare students for their selected careers, LIT desires to guide students in the ethical use of these technologies and incorporate AI into classroom instruction and assignments appropriately. Appropriate use of these technologies is at the discretion of the instructor. Students are reminded that all submitted work must be their own original work unless otherwise specified. Students should contact their instructor with any questions as to the acceptable use of AI/ChatGPT in their courses STARFISH LIT utilizes an early alert system called Starfish. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails from Starfish regarding your course grades, attendance, or academic performance. Faculty members record student attendance, raise flags and kudos to express concern or give praise, and you can make an appointment with faculty and staff all through the Starfish home page. You can also login to Blackboard or MyLIT and click on the Starfish link to view academic alerts and detailed information. It is the responsibility of the student to pay attention to these emails and information in Starfish and consider taking the recommended actions. Starfish is used to help you be a successful student at LIT. ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES/INFORMATION 1. Students are expected to use proper net etiquette while participating in course emails, assignment submissions, and online discussions 2. Log onto Blackboard at least once per week. 3. Use of AI for assignment completion is NOT acceptable and tends to impede student performance since the discussion requirements are limited between 100 and 250 words. 4. Students must engage in weekly discussions and feedback to classmates 5. All students must register with FEMA and obtain a Student Identification Number (SID; https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/register). 6. Assignments’ grades may be accessed through My Grades in Blackboard. Each assignment shows your grade and any comments I make on your assignment. 7. There are three FEMA Independent Study courses covered in this class, IS-559, IS-2900, IS-660 (voluntary). Upon submission of a FEMA certificate indicating successful completion of the online course, I will add 5 points to the individual test score over that section of the course. 8. Due to the short semester, some adjustments in discussion assignments may be made as needed during the course.