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In a long overdue announcement, we would like to congratulate the Louisiana Silver Jackets, recipients of the 2023 Silver Jackets Team of the Year award! This award recognizes teams for their outstanding achievements in advancing collaborative flood risk or natural hazard management, including efforts that improve life safety, leverage resources, reduce duplication of effort, and strengthen coordination among agencies. The recipient is selected by the votes of fellow Silver Jackets teams from across the nation.

The strength of Silver Jackets lies in ordinary interactions done consistently, and the Louisiana team excels at the type of communication, relationship-building, and coordination that make this approach work. Team members stay in regular contact, and quarterly meetings give them a chance to exchange knowledge, share lessons learned and align programs.

The team also actively works to form new connections.  Throughout 2022 and 2023, members drove to communities across the state to meet with local officials, existing partners and new organizations focused on flood resilience. These in-person conversations helped expand the team, increasing participation by nearly 25 percent. Today’s team members include the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the Louisiana Office of Community Development, the Acadiana Planning Commission, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, EPA, FEMA and USACE, among others.

Through ordinary, day-to-day, relationship-building practices, the Louisiana Silver Jackets achieved extraordinary results and have advanced effective flood risk management partnering statewide. Read more…

Learn about the improvements to warning communication and help for emergency managers to prepare for and respond to flooding, and the National Weather Service's experimental flood inundation mapping services in this webinar. 

Inside the Castle: A podcast that goes behind castle doors to have real conversations with real people about solving the nation’s toughest challenges.

Episode description: Partnership in action: Inside the Castle explores the Silver Jackets program with USACE’s Brandon Brummett and PA’s Tom Hughes—sharing how federal, state, and local teams unite to reduce flood risk, deliver better data, and turn good ideas into on-the-ground results.

Find the latest episode on DVIDs or whatever podcasting platform you prefer.

• Brandon Brummett, an Outreach Coordinator with the USACE Louisville District, who has been a long-time member of the Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois Silver Jackets Teams and currently serves as the USACE Silver Jackets Coordinator for the Kentucky team.  
• Tom Hughes, the Director of Emergency Management Mitigation/Insurance and Resilient Communities Office with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and a long-time Pennsylvania Silver Jackets Team member.  

Silver Jackets teams are continually engaged in exciting and innovative collaborative work to reduce risk from floods and sometimes other natural hazards. Learn more about recent interagency activities, projects, best practices, and lessons learned in these posters developed by Silver Jackets teams from around the country. Interested in learning more about any of these efforts? Reach out to IWR.SilverJackets@usace.army.mil for more information.

Join us to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Silver Jackets! Learn about the inaugural Silver Jackets teams, hear from early & current Silver Jackets leaders about the state of interagency flood risk management collaboration before Silver Jackets came into existence and current and future endeavors in this webinar. 

Learn more about the 2015 Silver Jackets project that was key to understanding potential impacts and messaging to the city and the public of the 2011 flood in Juneau, Alaska in this webinar. 

Learn more about the flooding, damage and landslides in southern Appalachia caused by Hurricane Helene and the response from state, federal, and local partners and the U.S. Geological Survey in this webinar. 

Learn more about the joint effort of the West Virginia and Pennsylvania Silver Jackets Teams in creating an interactive workshop which took traditional planning methods and turns them into a fast-paced, role-playing simulation of structured public participation focused on disaster preparation, response & recovery in this webinar. 

Learn more about the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Realtime Flood Impact Map, it's features and how it provides public facing real-time flooding information using icon-based graphics displaying specific impacts to key public features near USGS streamgages in this webinar. 

Learn more about the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Realtime Flood Impact Map, it's features and how it provides public facing real-time flooding information using icon-based graphics displaying specific impacts to key public features near USGS streamgages in this webinar. 

Learn more about building resilience through partnership with the Pennsylvania Silver Jackets, named 2024 Team of the Year; Utah's leveraging of a growing partnership to create a Flood Damage Assessment Toolkit, and how Navajo Nation Silver Jackets is raising flood risk awareness to strengthen community preparedness in the latest edition of The Buzz Newsletter. 

Learn about the partnership between the town of Fremont and the Nebraska Silver Jackets and the efforts to develop resilience, mitigation and recovery efforts among several projects after the 2019 flood in this latest webinar. 

Learn about post-wildfire responses and the coordination between across federal agencies as well as local, state and Tribal governments during post-fire response and recovery in this latest webinar. 

Learn about the latest hydraulic modeling advancements in HEC-RAS including stormwater pipe networks and 2D floodway evaluation tools, the latest version of HEC-RAS and it's use in allowing users to analyze the adequacy of stormwater systems and better characterize pluvial flood risk in this latest webinar. 

Learn about the 3-day National Levee Safety event hosted by the Iowa Silver Jackets Team and the discussions of moving the nation towards a consistent set of practices for levees and the available National Levee Safety Program tools and datasets available for Iowa levee systems in this latest webinar. 

Learn about FEMA’s Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) Final Rule and get an overview of FEMA’s 44 CFR Part 9 rule change, FFRMS policy, and implementation. In this latest webinar. 

The June 2024 FRM Buzz Newsletter is available with the latest Silver Jackets updates! Read about collaborative efforts to support community resilience such as the National Weather Service’s new Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) services and updates to the National Levee Database. Also, learn about the collaborative efforts to preserve floodplains in Logan, Utah and the introduction of the Navajo Nation and American Samoa Silver Jackets Teams. 

Learn about the National Levee Safety Guidelines in this webinar from the Silver Jackets Spring 2024 Webinar Series. The Guidelines are a resource of best practices help achieve nationwide consistency in improving the reliability of levees and resiliency of communities behind levees throughout the United States.   

In this webinar from the Silver Jackets Spring 2024 Webinar Series, learn about the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the WaterSMART program from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the planning level assistance to eligible non-federal partners provided by USACE through the PAS program in this set of three presentations.

In this webinar from the Silver Jackets Spring 2024 Webinar Series, learn about the National Water Prediction Service (NWPS), a new cloud-based data visualization and data services deployed by the National Weather Service (NWS). 

FEMA has introduced an exciting new funding opportunity called Swift Current, offered under Flood Mitigation Assistance. It provides funding to mitigate buildings insured through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) after a major flood-related disaster declaration in order to reduce risk against future flood damage. Learn more about it in this webinar.

Learn about plans for NOAA Atlas updates across the nation including the development of NOAA Atlas 15 and it's incorporation into nonstationary approaches and be derived from climate model outputs to project precipitation frequency estimates into the future in this webinar.

Learn about the Federal Highway Administration's new Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Formula and the Discretionary Grant Programs established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the goal of these funds helping to make surface transportation more resilient to natural hazards in this webinar.

The October 2023 FRM Buzz Newsletter is available with the latest Silver Jackets updates! Read about the adaptive flood risk mitigation planning model for Rapid City, South Dakota that was developed 50 years after the Black Hills flood. Additionally, read about the 2022 Silver Jackets Team, Silver Jackets Coordinator and Flood Risk Manager of the Year and the 2022 Watershed University Summit. 

Learn about new efforts currently underway that collect feedback on best practices including the technical processes, team dynamics, and logistical or coordination tools from leads of the interagency state teams and other partners in this webinar.

Learn about the USDA Forest Service’s Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program and methods, and the key role it plays in understanding how the landscape and flood risk changes after fire in this webinar.

Learn about the Eastern Kentucky Flooding in 2022 and the collaborative efforts of the federal partners in the challenging response and recovery work in this webinar.

Learn about the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service's (USDA-NRCS) watershed operations program. Emergency Watershed Protection; Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations; and Watershed Rehabilitation are the three components that make up this webinar.

Learn about the National Flood Insurance Program Risk Rating 2.0 and its ties to the USACE Levee Safety Program.  Additionally, learn about the 2024 Silver Jackets workshop and the input collected on potential topics from this webinar.

Learn about the challenges and opportunities of bi-national, bi-directional communication during a disaster response event and the special consideration that is needed to foster a collaborative environment in this webinar.

Learn about innovative thinking and outside the box methods of reaching and communicating with target audiences from multiple presenters in this webinar.

The Iowa Silver Jackets Team was selected as the 2022 Silver Jackets Team of the Year by its peers. The Team received this recognition due to is its response and recovery efforts related to historic flooding across Iowa in 2019. 

The Silver Jackets team supported levee rehabilitation efforts, nonstructural buy-outs, other nonstructural flood risk mitigation efforts, and participated in a Levee Task Force initiated by the Governor of Iowa as part of the recovery efforts. The team has also conducted multiple interagency efforts focused on communities most impacted by the 2019 flooding, such as the city of Davenport, where they provided innovative interagency support for, and assessment of, nonstructural flood risk management options. The team has also focused on interagency collection and processing of data to enable rapid modeling and mapping of floodplain areas for future needs. The team’s successful accomplishments are attributed to strong partnership from the many dedicated team members and agencies, demonstrating shared responsibility in action. The team was recognized at the 2022 National Flood Risk Management Program (NFRMP) Virtual Workshop.

Mr. Matt Shanks from the USACE Great Lakes and Ohio River Division (LRD) has been selected as the 2022 Silver Jackets Coordinator of the Year!

In his role as Silver Jackets Program Manager, Matt coordinates regularly with the District Silver jackets Coordinators within LRD’s area of responsibility, ensuring they have the support and resources they need to successfully support our State Silver jackets team partners and providing them feedback to help strengthen District efforts. He also coordinates regularly with the HQ National Flood Risk Management Program (NFRMP) team, providing valuable and appreciated feedback on the needs of the Districts as well as the overall direction of the program. Matt has introduced a degree of structure to the LRD NFRMP team, including instituting quarterly team meetings with Flood Risk Managers and Silver Jackets Coordinators from all Districts to increase focus on program execution. Matt also provides strong support to the Districts by leveraging other USACE opportunities to support state Silver Jackets team priorities, such as the Floodplain Management Services Program. Matt was recognized at the 2022 National Flood Risk Management Program Virtual Workshop. 

Mr. Nik Richard from USACE New Orleans District has been selected as the 2022 Flood Risk Manager of the Year!

In his role as District Flood Risk Manager, Nik has brought together multiple state and federal agencies in an effort to better manage flood risk. He works closely with state, local, and other partners to understand the need; and coordinates closely with technical subject matter experts to leverage resources and opportunities to provide support. Nik has traveled extensively across the state of Louisiana, strengthening relationships with numerous partners at all levels of government. He has leveraged these partnerships to increase USACE’s presence across the state in support of flood risk management needs, including focusing on delivering flood risk management support to traditionally overlooked communities. He has also played an integral role in supporting and assisting communities facing immediate hurricane recovery needs following devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. Nik was recognized at the 2022 National Flood Risk Management Program Virtual Workshop.  
 

Learn about FEMA's Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund program, the FY2023 NOFO, and capitalization application grant materials from this webinar.

Learn about USACE programs that can assist in addressing flood risk management problems. This webinar takes a deep dive into Flood Plain Management Services (FPMS) Interagency Proposals on which many state Silver Jackets teams work together. Examples of interagency projects are also shared among multiple agencies to work towards a solution.

Learn about FEMA's Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate and how it is a resource for policyholders and property owners navigating the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This webinar featured presenters from the Federal Insurance Office and the Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate and how they receive inquiries from policyholders, provide education and resources, and analyze data from these interactions to better understand customer concerns. 

Learn about the collaborative flood risk education campaign between the Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia Silver Jackets teams to commemorate 50th Anniversary of Hurricane Agnes. This webinar details efforts such as including social media campaigns and an interactive and comprehensive website detailing personal accounts of those directly affected by Hurricane Agnes.

The September 2022 FRM Buzz Newsletter is available with the latest Silver Jackets updates! Read about the Utah Silver Jackets recently published guide to risk reduction on alluvial fans. Learn about efforts of the Kansas Hazard Mitigation Team (KHMT) o examining regenerative agricultural practices as a possible tool for reducing flood risks. Learn about the Nevada Silver Jackets development of a Flood After Fire Guide, a post fire resource for Nevada Communities in the face of increasingly severe wildfires.

Learn about the tie between conservation efforts done as part of soil management systems, watershed restoration efforts, and watershed-wide land use incentives. The webinar includes panelists from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -  Kansas City District, and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Learn about funding programs from various partner agencies. Highlighted programs include funding for rebuilding, recovery, and community resilience. The webinar includes panelists from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Economic Development Administration, and USDA Rural Development.

The National Flood Risk Management Program, of which Silver Jackets is a component, promotes integrated flood risk management solutions that focus on life-cycle risk reduction and shared responsibility. The USACE Headquarters Office of Homeland Security is the program champion, with the Institute for Water Resources managing national execution of the program.

The National Flood Risk Management Program recently unveiled a new Silver Jackets logo! IWR sits down with Ellen Berggren, USACE National Silver Jackets Program Manager, to ask her a few questions about the program and the messages behind the new logo.

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The Nebraska Silver Jackets Team was selected as the 2021 Silver Jackets Team of the Year by its peers. The Team received this recognition due to is its collaborative approach during 2019 Missouri River basin flooding, the largest federally declared disaster in the state’s history.

The Silver Jackets team assisted with response and recovery, engaging at the Joint Field Office and collecting highwater mark data. To collect data over a significant geographic area, the Team coordinated with local communities to enter data using an online portal, with the U.S. Geological Survey then surveying the data points. The Team successfully coordinated and transitioned into recovery, hosting three virtual post-flood workshops for communities about post-flood activities, grant opportunities, and agency resources to support recovery. Additionally, the Team collaborated to produce products to document the changed post-flood hydrologic and hydraulic environment, incorporating recent 2019 flood data to update numerous models and analyses. The team also participated on the Governor’s Task Force, evaluating local community applications for recovery funding, prioritizing projects, and also identifying other relevant funding sources, which maximized resources available to assist local communities.

The team’s successful accomplishments are attributed to active participation by many dedicated team members and agencies, demonstrating shared responsibility in action.