NOTICE: Effective April 16, 2026, FEMA has restored access to its Independent Study.

These courses are typically inaccessible during a lapse in appropriations, but FEMA is facing unprecedented circumstances. Users may now register for and complete these self-guided courses. However, FEMA's staffing and operations are still impacted by the lapse in appropriations. If users experience technical problems, FEMA staff are unable to provide assistance at this time. Please click here to read the full notice

Federal Emergency Management Agency | Emergency Management Institute

Independent Study

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IS-285: Substantial Damage Estimation for Floodplain Administrators

Course Date

12/29/2025

Course Overview

This training is designed to help assist tribal, local, and State officials in making substantial damage determinations in accordance with the NFIP using the FEMA Substantial Damage Estimator (SDE) software.

Course Objectives:

Identify the purpose of conducting substantial damage assessments

Recognize the features of the FEMA SDE Tool and how to use them
Recall the substantial damage assessment processes for residential and non-residential structures

Prerequisites

None

CEUs:

0.8

Course Length:

8 hours

Take This Course

Interactive Web Based Course

Final Exam

Take Final Exam Online

Notices

Test questions are scrambled to protect test integrity