Silver Jackets: Many Agencies One Solution - Be Risk Aware
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About the Program

The Silver Jackets program provides a formal and consistent strategy for an interagency approach to planning and implementing measures to reduce the risks associated with flooding and other natural hazards.

Federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are partnering to form a unified forum to address the state's flood risk management priorities. Silver Jacket programs are developed at the state level. There are currently 31 active state teams; the ultimate goal is to offer an interagency team in every state.

The program's primary goals are to:

  • Create or supplement a mechanism to collaboratively address risk management issues, prioritize those issues, and implement solutions
  • Increase and improve risk communication through a unified interagency effort
  • Leverage information and resources, including providing access to such national programs as FEMA's RiskMAP program and USACE's Levee Inventory and Assessment Initiative
  • Provide focused, coordinated hazard mitigation assistance in implementing high-priority actions such as those identified by state mitigation plans
  • Identify gaps among the various agency programs and/or barriers to implementation, such as conflicting agency policies or authorities, and provide recommendations for addressing these issues.

Silver Jackets Fact Sheet (pdf, 247 KB)

The program's desired outcomes are:

  • Reduced flood risk
  • Agencies better understand and leverage each other's programs
  • Collaboration between various agencies, coordinated programs, cohesive solutions
  • Multi-agency technical resource for state and local agencies
  • Mechanism for establishing relationships to facilitate integrated solutions post-disaster

Silver Jackets Flood Risk Planning Cycle

Silver Jacket Flood Risk Lifecycle

Driving Down The Risk

Chart Illustrating Driving Down The Risk

 

 

Revised 14 March 2013

 

 

National Flood Risk Management Program

"Responsibility for flood risk management in the United States is a shared responsibility between multiple Federal, State, and local government agencies with a complex set of programs and authorities. Nationally, both the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have programs to assist states and communities in reducing flood damages and promoting sound flood risk management. The authority to determine how land is used in floodplains and to enforce flood-wise requirements is entirely the responsibility of state and local government… Because of this complex arrangement of responsibilities, only a life-cycle, comprehensive and collaborative systems approach will enable communities to sustain an effective reduction of risks from flooding." Major General Don Riley