PREPARING TO AND RESPONDING TO DISASTERS

Chris Testa will share case studies of steps his office has taken to plan for and Mitigate the risks natural hazards present to the citizens of New Jersey. Now approaching over 1 Billion in Federal Funds distributed, he will share his insights into the challenges, successes, and opportunities the state faces in times of growing risk. Chris Testa is a Supervising Administrative Analyst in the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. He is the civilian manager of the Hazard Mitigation Unit, which is housed within the Recovery Bureau of the New Jersey State Police. The Unit is currently administering over $400M in FEMA grants distributed across all 21 of NJ’s counties. Chris also coordinates Hazard Mitigation Planning at the local level, supplying technical assistance and reviewing plans prior to submission to FEMA. Mr. Testa was OEM’s lead in the development of the 2014 and 2019 NJ State Hazard Mitigation Plans. He has a BS in Environmental Studies from Stockton University, and a MS in Environmental Policy Studies from NJIT. Prior to his work with the NJSP, he was employed by specialty contractor Henkels and McCoy as an Environmental Manager on a PSEG Electrical Transmission projects. Following DR-4021, the remnants of Hurricane Irene, Chris worked as a Community Hazard Mitigation Planner for FEMA. Prior to that, he was Special Projects Coordinator for the Hunterdon County Soil Conservation District. At home Chris is a Husband, Father of 2, and women's lacrosse coach.

NJIT welcomes attendees from all area colleges and universities and professions. This public forum qualifies attendees for Professional Development Hours.

Sponsors:

John A. Reif, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Otto H. York Dept of Chem and Material Engineering,
Dept of Chemistry and Env Science, Sigma Xi NJIT Chapter, and NJIT ASCE Chapter.