REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
FOR NEW JERSEY DISASTER RECOVERY WORKSHOP

One-Day Intensive Workshop on Community Rebuilding After Superstorm Sandy Hosted by
DCA’s Local Planning Services and New Jersey Redevelopment Authority

TRENTON, N.J. – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Local Planning Services and the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority (NJRA) will host a one-day, intensive New Jersey Disaster Recovery Workshop on Saturday, April 20 focused on providing practical rebuilding tools and strategies for communities devastated by Superstorm Sandy.

The workshop, “From Devastation to Recovery – Community Rebuilding After Sandy,” is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Toms River High School North, 1245 Old Freehold Road, Toms River. It is designed for mayors, governing body and planning and zoning board members, municipal managers, and business administrators from communities that experienced significant physical damage from Superstorm Sandy.

Click Here to Register

The workshop will include such speakers as Jon Mabry, Chief Operating Officer of the Mississippi Development Authority’s Disaster Recovery Division; Eddie Favre, the former mayor of Bay St. Louis, Miss.; and Dr. Richard G. Lathrop, Jr., a professor of environmental monitoring at Rutgers University’s Cook College.

The following sessions will be featured:

  • Community and Master Planning Post Sandy: Adapting to Climate and Sea Level Changes – Attendees will visualize coastal flooding vulnerabilities and learn about how to plan for resiliency and prepare for potential disaster scenarios.
  • Recovery as a Process – Attendees will consider the case study of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, a small town community along the Gulf of Mexico that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and was rebuilt into a vibrant arts and tourism destination recently named among America’s Coolest Small Towns 2013 by Budget Travel.
  • Zoning and Land Use Issues for Impacted Communities – Attendees will learn how to deal with zoning challenges to redevelopment as they manage their local recovery.
  • Rehabilitation and Redevelopment Tools for Impacted Communities – Attendees will obtain tools for land use and long-term planning after Superstorm Sandy.

Those interested in attending should register as soon as possible to secure a spot. There is no cost to attend the workshop. Registration is also open for a similar workshop scheduled for May 1 at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, 1 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.

Aside from the DCA’s Local Planning Services and the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority, the workshop is also being sponsored by Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., a national charitable organization that provides expertise for affordable housing and sustainable communities.