Effective and continuous collaboration between state and federal agencies is critical to successfully reducing the risk of flooding and other natural disasters in the United States and enhancing response and recovery efforts when such events do occur. No single agency has all the answers, but often multiple programs can be leveraged to provide a cohesive solution.
The Silver Jackets is an innovative program that provides an opportunity to consistently bring together multiple state, federal, and sometimes tribal and local agencies to learn from one another and apply their knowledge to reduce risk. State agencies, including those of the State Hazard Mitigation Officer and State NFIP Coordinator, come together with the Federal family of agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), come together in a common forum to address the state's flood risk management priorities. Silver Jacket programs are developed at the state level. There are currently 29 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 identify, prioritize, and address risk management issues and implement solutions
- Increase and improve risk communication through a unified interagency effort
- Leverage information and resources and provide access to such national programs as FEMA's Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) 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 agency programs and/or barriers to implementation, such as conflicting agency policies or authorities, and provide recommendations for addressing these issues.
Why the name Silver Jackets? Traditionally, different agencies wear different colored jackets when responding to emergencies. For example, FEMA personnel wear blue and Corps personnel wear red. The name Silver Jackets is used to underscore the common mission of the diverse agencies involved. |
Silver Jackets Newsletter
2012 Workshop
2011 Workshop
Webinars Supporting Flood Risk Management
- Community Rating System Webinar — September 20th
- NRCS/USACE Partnership Handbook: A Field Guide to Working Together Toward Shared Goals — April 26th
- Risk MAP — April 28th
- ASFPM…Are We Reducing Risk? — May 4th
- Sustainability with US Department of HUD — June 2nd
|
