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Frequently Asked QuestionsUSACE Flood Risk Management Program (FRMP)
What is Floodplain Management?Floodplain management is a decision making process whose goal is to achieve appropriate use of the nation’s floodplains. Appropriate use is any activity or set of activities compatible with the risk to life safety, the economy and the environment. The division of responsibilities for floodplain management among federal, state, tribal, and local governments is not clearly defined. As a result, attention to floodplain management varies widely among and within federal, state, tribal, and local governments. Prior to the creation of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), floodplain management as a practice was not well established - only a few states and several hundred communities actually regulated floodplain development. For many communities, the NFIP was the community's initial exposure to land use planning and community regulations. What is the history of the USACE FRM program?As a part of the Army, USACE is assigned mission responsibilities in major construction and other engineering support to the Army and Air Force, in nationwide water resource management, in engineering research and development, and in real estate services for the Army and the Department of Defense. In addition to these long-standing programs, USACE has been called upon with increasing frequency to take a leadership role in the nation's flood risk management arena. As a result, USACE established the National Flood Risk Management Program (NFRMP) in May 2006 for the purpose of integrating and synchronizing USACE flood risk management programs and activities, both internally and externally with counterpart activities of the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), other federal agencies, state organizations and regional and local agencies as well as non-governmental organizations (NGO). Yearly video teleconferences have been held since 2007. In August of 2009 regional workshops were held to discuss the draft guidance and to include comments. The official guidance was issued in October 2009, formally establishing the Flood Risk Management Program in Headquarters, divisions and districts. What is the Silver Jackets program?Silver Jackets teams are continuously operating, state-led, collaborative interagency teams working together to reduce flood risk at the state level. USACE, FEMA, and other Federal, state and tribal and local agencies provide a unified approach to addressing a state’s priorities. No single agency has the complete solution -- each has one or more pieces, similar to squares in a patchwork quilt. The Silver Jackets program can be viewed as the quilting bee, the forum where all agencies, state and federal, come together to put their programs together and implement a solution. Why the name Silver Jackets?The name “Silver Jackets” refers to the public’s view of federal emergency response: USACE in red jackets and FEMA in blue jackets. Instead of operating individually, the intent of the Silver Jackets is to facilitate collaboration among many state and federal agencies, and provide one coherent forum for a state to address their priorities. When referring to this analogy, it is important to note that the jackets are symbolic; as a neutral color silver is meant symbolize unified state and federal action. The scope of the program, however, is much broader than emergency response. The intent of the Silver Jackets program is to bring agencies together to manage a state’s flood risk throughout the life-cycle. All aspects — mitigation, preparation/training, response and recovery — are within the scope of the team. The team’s focus will be determined by the state’s priorities, and participation may vary accordingly.
Revised 30 Dec 2010 |
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