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Many Partners, One Team

 
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Watershed University Webinars

Watershed University is a free event that provides education and networking opportunities for California professionals in floodplain management, water management, emergency management and related fields. Led by the California Silver Jackets, this event is a cooperative effort that evolved from the recognition that some communities could not afford the investment of time and money to send floodplain managers and other professionals to conferences. It has since grown to provide a variety of timely flood risk reduction topics to professionals worldwide.

Flood Risk Management Life Cycle Webinar Series

Silver Jackets Webinars

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FEMA's National Rollout of the FY23 Swift Current Funding Opportunity (Mar 2024)


Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has introduced an exciting new funding opportunity called Swift Current. Swift Current is offered under Flood Mitigation Assistance and 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. A total of $300 million in funding is available under the Fiscal Year 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity, which was made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), better known as Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Funds will be made available to states, territories, and federally recognized tribal governments that receive a major disaster declaration following a flood-related disaster event and meet all other eligibility criteria.

Presenter:

  • Shandi Teltschik, P.E., CFM, FMA Swift Current Lead, Flood Mitigation Assistance Section, FEMA

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: March 20, 2024

 

NOAA Atlas: Planned Updates to the Nation's Precipitation Frequency Estimates (Feb 2024)


The webinar discussed plans for NOAA Atlas updates across the nation, in particular, for the development of NOAA Atlas 15. In 2022 NOAA received first-ever direct Federal funding under the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to (1) update the NOAA Atlas 14 precipitation frequency standard while accounting for climate change, and (2) develop precipitation frequency estimates for the entire U.S. and its territories.  NOAA Atlas 15 will incorporate nonstationary approaches and be derived from climate model outputs to project precipitation frequency estimates into the future.

Presenter:

  • Fernando Salas, PhD, Director of the Geo-Intelligence Division, National Water Center, NOAA/National Weather Service

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: February 27, 2024

 

FHWA’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Formula & Discretionary Grant Program​ (Jan 2024)


The webinar explained FHWA’s the new Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Formula and the Discretionary Grant Programs that were established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The goal of these funds are to help make surface transportation more resilient to natural hazards, including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural.

Presenter:

  • Lamin Williams, Deputy Division Administrator for the MD Division of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: January 23, 2024

2023

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Silver Jackets & State Hazard Mitigation Teams’ Best Practices Project (Nov 2023)


This webinar introduced a new effort getting underway that will collect feedback on best practices from leads of the interagency state teams and other partners. Joe Chandler, FEMA Region VII and Brian Rast, USACE Kansas City District, gave an overview of the project and described the process that will be utilized in a future virtual working session, with participants like you, that will take place in late November or early December (date/time to be announced). The goal of the project is to collect best practices about technical processes, team dynamics, and logistical or coordination tools that have helped teams and that can help all of us improve our work in risk management.  

Presenters:

  • Joe Chandler, FEMA Region VII
  • Brian Rast, USACE Kansas City District

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: November 13, 2023

 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) and Post-Disaster Recovery Program (Oct 2023)


This presentation provided an overview of the USDA Forest Service’s Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program and methods, which plays a key role in understanding how the landscape and flood risk changes after fire. It also introduced the USDA Forest Service’s new national Post-Disaster Recovery Program.  

Presenters:

  • Cara Sponaugle (formerly Farr), National Post-Fire Program Leader, Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Program, USDA Forest Service, Washington Office
  • Elaine Kohrman, Assistant Director, USDA Forest Service’s New National Post-Disaster Recovery Program:  National Post-Disaster Recovery, USDA Forest Service, Washington Office

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: October 18, 2023

 

Prelude to the 2024 National Flood Risk Management and Silver Jackets Workshop (Sep 2023)

This presentation featured three state partners explaining the value of this national workshop. This three-day workshop offered state representatives in flood risk management the opportunity to meet other state and federal flood risk management partners and exchange knowledge, skills, and tools that have helped improve resilience to floods. Attendees heard about the how these three presenters have benefited from attendance at past workshops. The USACE workshop planning team also provided updates on plans for the 2024 Workshop. Attendees had time to ask questions as well. 

Presenters:

  • Bunny Bishop, Chief, Water Planning and Drought Resiliency, Nevada Division of Water Resources 
  • Tom Hughes, Director, Emergency Management Mitigation, Insurance & Resilient Communities Office, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
  • Nick Bonard, Branch Chief, Floodplains, Wetlands, and Groundwater, District of Columbia, Department of Energy & Environment

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: September 20, 2023

 

Kentucky Flooding 2022: A Collaborative Approach to Disaster Response and Recovery (Aug 2023)


This presentation reflected on Eastern Kentucky Flooding in 2022 and the collaborative efforts of the federal partners in the challenging response and recovery work. 

Presenters:

  • Brandon Brummett, Matt Shanks, USACE
  • Alex VanPelt, Kentucky Division of Water
  • Geni Jo Brawner, Kentucky Division of Emergency Management

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: August 24, 2023

 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service Program’s (NRCS) Watershed Operation Programs (Jul 2023)


The Monday, July 10th Silver Jackets webinar featured partners from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service Program’s (NRCS) watershed operation programs.

The NRCS Watershed Program provides technical and financial assistance to implement conservation practices and works of improvement for soil, water, and land resources within watersheds. The program has three main components: Emergency Watershed Protection; Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations; and Watershed Rehabilitation. 

Presenters:

  • Alton Miller, NRCS Nashville, TN 
  • Sonya Keith, NRCS, Kentucky Farm Production and Conservation Business Center (FPAC)
  • Bronson Smart, NRCS Utah FPAC

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: July 10, 2023

 

Risk Rating 2.0 (Jun 2023)


This presentation provided an overview of the National Flood Insurance Program Risk Rating 2.0 and its ties to the USACE Levee Safety Program.  Time was also spent at the end of the webinar to discuss the 2024 Silver Jackets workshop and collect input on potential topics.

Presenters:

  • Gil Giron, FEMA Region VI, National Flood Insurance Program
  •  Bruce Jordan, USACE Albuquerque District, Levee Safety

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: June 22, 2023

 

Tijuana River Watershed Bi-National Dam Safety Tabletop Exercise (TTX) Overview (May 2023)


The presentation highlighted 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.

Presenters:

  • Nick Zubel, San Diego County Office of Emergency Management
  • Helen Lopez, International Affairs & Tribal Coordination
  • Megan Whalen, USACE Los Angeles District
  • Sarah Moore, USACE Albuquerque District
  • Patricia Fontanet Rodriguez, USACE Sacramento District

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: May 25, 2023

 

Innovative Outreach – Unique Ways to Communicate and Reach Target Audiences (Apr 2023)


This presentation provided examples of outreach that are innovative and thinking outside the box. Presenters discussed ways their unique outreach styles reached their target audiences.

Presenters:

  • "This Is How We Do It" - Presentation on Nashville National Weather Service social media creativity.
    • Mark A. Rose, Meteorologist with the Nashville National Weather Service Office
  • "Post-Fire Risk Communication using Existing Community Channels"
    • Marian Schwarz, Flood Risk Program Manager for USACE Albuquerque District
  • "Interagency Collaboration for Unsheltered Community Flood Resilience"
    • Alev Bilginsoy, USACE San Francisco District, Interdisciplinary Planner, Deputy Silver Jackets Coordinator, and Outreach Coordinator
    • Emily Marcil, USACE San Francisco District, Environmental Justice Junior Planner
    • Lindsay Floyd, USACE Sacramento District, Water Resource Planner

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: April 26, 2023

 

Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund FY23 NOFO (Mar 2023)


This presentation provided an overview of the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program, the FY23 NOFO, and the capitalization grant application materials.

Presenters:

  • Yvelisse Orona, FEMA Program and Management Analyst
  • Paloma Alaniz, FEMA Program Analyst
  • Maria Mercedes Carruthers Ferrero, FEMA Program Analyst
  • Michelle Buckley, FEMA Program Analyst

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: March 14, 2023

 

Natural Hazards Center Risk Communication with Social Vulnerable Communities (Feb 2023)


Carson spoke about the Risk Communication and Social Vulnerability: Guidance for Practitioners materials and principles for risk communication developed in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Presenters:

  • Carson MacPherson-Krutsky, Research Associate – Natural Hazards Center
  • Sarah Moore, USACE Albuquerque District

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: February 28, 2023

 

What USACE Program Fits your Water Resources Problem and a Deeper Dive into FPMS Interagency Nonstructural Proposals (Jan 2023)


This webinar gave an overview of USACE programs that can assist in addressing flood risk management problems. We took a deeper dive into Flood Plain Management Services (FPMS) Interagency Proposals which many state Silver Jackets teams work together on. The call for FPMS Interagency Proposals are due March 31, 2023. Finally, interagency project examples were shared to show multiple agencies coming together to work towards one solution.

Presenters:

  • Lacey Thomason, USACE National Silver Jackets Deputy PgM
  • Kaely Megaro, USACE FPMS Deputy PgM, FRM Business Line Support
  • Jennifer Dunn, USACE NFRMP Deputy PgM, FPMS Interagency PgM
  • Sheila Warren, USACE New England District Silver Jackets Coordinator
  • Ashley Fuentes, USACE Nashville District Silver Jackets Coordinator

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: January 19, 2023

2022

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Expanding Capabilities with a State-wide Weather Network (Mesonet) (Dec 2022)


As weather and climate trends continue to have lasting impacts across the world, there is an increasing interest in weather observations. State-wide weather networks, or Mesonets (mesoscale + network), provide high quality, research-grade weather data which can be used in many ways. In this presentation, the presenters detailed what a Mesonet is, where they are, and how the data can be used to improve operations and expand capabilities. The presenters also discussed best practices and recommendations for new and existing networks.

Presenters:

  • Megan Schargorodski, Kentucky Mesonet Manager
  • Andrew Joyner, PhD, Tennessee State Climatologist

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: December 6, 2022

 

Climate Resiliency (Nov 2022)


Sean Bath presented on the RISA program.

Jim Neumann reviewed the methods and selected results of U.S. EPA’s September 2021 report: Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts. Jim focused on two of the six impacts addressed in the report, both related to coastal flooding, the first is impact of SLR and storm surge on coastal property; and the second is impact of SLR and high-tide flooding on road networks.

Sean discussed the CAP/RISA program, which advances equitable adaptation to climate variability and change through sustained regional research and community engagement. Since 1995, the program has used cooperative agreements with interdisciplinary multi-institution teams across multi-state regions to build sustained partnerships to answer complex questions about the physical and social effects of climate. Sean described how CAP/RISA teams operate and explore some of the ways teams may be a resource to Silver Jackets and vice versa. Lastly, he discussed some of the ways to access federal climate resilience data, tools, and services.

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: November 15, 2022

 

Flooding and Insurance (Oct 2022)


The Federal Insurance Office discussed the national picture for homeowners’ insurance, with an emphasis on the consumer perspective as well as the use of insurance to address climate-related risks like flooding.

FEMA’s Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate: Understanding NFIP resources for the customer.

FEMA’s Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate is a resource for frustrated and confused policyholders and property owners navigating the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The Advocate’s office receives inquiries on topics across all aspects of the NFIP, provides education and resources to policyholders and property owners, and analyzes data from these interactions to develop a deeper understanding of customer concerns. The Advocate’s office discussed their casework data analytics and resources Silver Jackets members can utilize to help advance resilience in their community.

Presenters:

  • Stephanie Schmelz, Deputy Director, Federal Insurance Office, U.S. Department of the Treasury
  • Rhonda Montgomery, Director, Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate within FIMA at FEMA

Link to Materials and Other Resources

Date: October 25, 2022

 

Hurricane Agnes 50th Anniversary Outreach Campaign: Learn from the Past and Prepare for the Future (Sep 2022)


In June 1972, Hurricane Agnes ravaged the mid-Atlantic region. At the time, it was the most destructive tropical cyclone in American history. Rainfall from Agnes caused catastrophic inland flooding, with an immense geographic scale. Agnes caused the loss of 128 lives and more than $3.1 billion in damages (in 1972 dollars).   

To commemorate this event, the Silver Jackets teams of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, collaborated on an outreach campaign to encourage everyone to learn more about their flood risk and take actions to be prepared. Even decades later, the stories of Agnes still resonate and can help us be better prepared for the threats of the future. With climate change, extreme rainfall and flooding events are becoming more common, and lessons learned after storms like Agnes are even more valuable.  

The outreach campaign included an interactive and comprehensive website, outreach events and a social media campaign. The website contains visually compelling details and personal accounts about the direct impacts of Hurricane Agnes by state, information about how flood forecasting, warning and emergency response has evolved in the past 50 years, flood risk management efforts, and actions people can take to be prepared for hurricanes and flooding. 

Presenters:

  • Stacey Underwood, US Army Corps of Engineers - US Army Corps of Engineers – Baltimore District 
  • Rob Shedd, NWS, Mid-Atlantic River Forecast Center 
  • Maggie Dunn, FEMA 3 Outreach Coordinator 

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: September 28, 2022

 

Kansas Healthy Watersheds (Aug 2022)


The Kansas Healthy Watersheds webinar looked at the tie between conservation efforts done as part of soil health management systems, Kansas Department of Health & Environment watershed restoration efforts using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funds, and watershed-wide land use incentives, which may be an underused nonstructural measure. The project performed a sensitivity analysis with assistance from USACE Hydrologic Engineering Center in the HEC-HMS software. The analysis also used new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for rainfall intensity increases under climate change. Participants could ask questions and share their ideas about how to prepare our next steps in effective watershed partnerships and how we can reduce flood risks with these combined approaches.

Presenters:

  • Candy Thomas, Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • Scott Sattherthwaite, Kansas Department of Health and Environment
  • Brian Rast, US Army Corps of Engineers - Kansas City District

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: August 25, 2022

 

Federal Partner Funding in Support of Natural Hazards Resiliency (Jul 2022)


The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and USDA Rural Development (USDA RD) have different missions, but each administers programs that can assist states, local governments and others with natural disaster recovery and improving resiliency. Join our panel of Federal partners as they highlight agency programs that may assist with funding actions to improve resiliency from flooding and other natural hazards.

Presenters:

  • Sarah Marquart, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development
  • Frances Sakaguchi, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration
  • Joey Baietti, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: July 21, 2022

 

USACE – Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program (Jun 2022)


The Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program is a new federal loan program, authorized by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), that allows USACE to provide long-term, low-cost loans to borrowers looking for credit assistance on water resources infrastructure projects. The program is authorized for credit assistance to non-federal dam safety projects. The webinar will provide information on program eligibility, benefits and expected timeline.

Presenter: Aaron Snyder, Interim Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program Director, USACE

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: June 14, 2022

 

State Flood Resilience and Adaptation Planning (May 2022)


The State Resilience Partnership is a network of nongovernmental organizations and academic institutions—convened by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the American Flood Coalition—and united by a commitment to support state leaders as they craft the next generation of adaptation strategies. To underscore this commitment, the State Resilience Partnership commissioned the Urban Institute to develop a landscape analysis of state flood planning efforts, identifying common themes, trends, and practices, while highlighting gaps and offering a series of common-sense recommendations states can follow to develop better long-term plans. This presentation will take an in-depth look at the findings from the new research, documented in the State Flood Resilience and Adaptation Planning report, while discussing implications for states across the country—and their federal partners.

Presenter: Mathew Sanders, Senior Manager, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: May 23, 2022

 

USACE Regulatory Program and Permits Overview (Apr 2022)


This presentation introduces the USACE Regulatory Program and permits associated with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. USACE staff discuss the regulatory program, permit process options during emergencies, agency coordination, and suggestions for pre-event preparedness.

Presenter: Robert Gramke, Regulatory Branch Chief, USACE St. Louis District

Link to Presentation

Date: April 14, 2022

 

Adaptation for All: A Guide on Flood Resilience Solutions for Communities of all Sizes (Mar 2022)


Across the country, communities large and small face the devastating impact of flooding, yet each community’s ability to recover and plan for the future is different. The process of identifying, funding, and implementing flood resilience projects can be daunting, particularly for municipalities that do not have a large staff or budget. In this presentation, we’ll dive into the Adaptation for All guide, which draws on examples from both the United States and the Netherlands, and highlights approaches broken down by cost, benefits, and implementation considerations, all to make it easier for communities of any size to evaluate how those approaches can work for them.

Presenters:

  • Anne Baker, Senior Outreach Director, American Flood Coalition
  • Rolando Hernández, Program Analyst, American Flood Coalition
  • Edgar Westerhof, National Director for Flood Risk and Resiliency North America, Arcadis
  • Trevor Johnson, Senior Resilience Planner, Arcadis

Link to Presentations, Recording and Transcript

Date: March 22, 2022

 

The Coastal Hazards System (Feb 2022)


Researchers from the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory will introduce the recently updated Coastal Hazards System and related research for quantifying and applying coastal storm hazards, including compound flooding problems. The Coastal Hazards System is a national effort for quantifying coastal hazards for U.S. coastlines based on high fidelity modeling and a cutting edge statistical framework. Along with this framework, the CHS encompasses multiple components including a webtool for accessing coastal hazards information, a website with documentation and metadata, and a suite of tools for engineering applications.

Presenters:

  • Ms. Madison Yawn, USACE Engineer Research & Development Center (ERDC), Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory
  • Dr. Meredith L. Carr, USACE ERDC, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory
  • Ms. Abigail L. Stehno, USACE ERDC, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory

Link to Presentations, Recording and Transcript

Date: February 28, 2022

 

USACE Call for FY23 Interagency Nonstructural Flood Risk Mgt Proposals (Floodplain Management Services Program) (Feb 2022)


Most of Silver Jackets teams have previously leveraged funds from the Floodplain Management Services Program to initiate hundreds of interagency efforts nationwide during the past decade. Not a grant program, the interagency work promotes participation by US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) staff in small nonstructural efforts undertaken with other partners to achieve flood risk management benefits that could not be achieved by any one party alone.  The Fiscal Year 2023 Call for Proposals invites submissions from the USACE Districts, prepared in collaboration with their partners, and provides an opportunity for USACE to offer its engineering and planning expertise to assist local communities and states with nonstructural approaches to manage and reduce flood risk. Join this webinar to learn more about this opportunity to work together to better manage flood risk.

Presenters:
  • Jennifer Dunn, USACE Institute for Water Resources
  • Jennifer Davis, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Homeland Security and Emergency Management
  • Terry Zien, USACE St. Paul District

Link to Presentations, Recording and Transcript

Date: February 8, 2022

 

Let's Go to Mars, Lars: Sustaining the Team to Achieve the Mission (Jan 2022)


Most of us have been running in a marathon of virtual meetings to complete our mission. Looking back on the past two years of pandemic-driven telework, it is amazing, almost a sci-fi fantasy, that we can virtually engage in Alaska in the morning, Florida in the afternoon, and still get a cup of coffee from our own kitchen in between meetings! Much like astronauts traveling into space, there are some advantages to this new environment that we never imagined were possible. However, this prolonged effort to meet our missions virtually is also taking a toll on our physical and emotional resilience, and it can compromise our ability to genuinely connect and sustain or build effective relationships and partnerships as human beings. Join this webinar (yes, it is virtual…how ironic) as members of the USACE Collaboration and Public Participation Center of Expertise provide tips on how to use virtual teambuilding tools effectively to achieve creative collaboration and minimize ‘Zoom’ burnout so that our experiences remain out of this world.

This presentation is provided by the same team that brought you “Get on the Bus, Gus: How to Rev up a Team and Drive it Home” in March 2019 and “Get on the Plane, Jane: How to Stay Connected When You’re up in the Air” in May 2020.

Helpful Resources for avoiding virtual meeting burnout, spicing up your meeting structure, and icebreakers/building relationship activities:

Presenters:

  • Andrea Carson, Silver Jackets Coordinator and Public Involvement Specialist, USACE Pittsburgh District
  • Hunter Merritt, Social Scientist, USACE Institute for Water Resources

Link to Presentations, Recording and Transcript

Date: January 12, 2022

2021

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Silver Jackets Teams of the Year Share Lessons of Success (Dec 2021)


The Silver Jackets Team of the Year is an annual award that recognizes an outstanding interagency team that exemplifies effective life-cycle flood risk management within the context of shared responsibility at all levels. The annual recognition is selected by a peer voting process, with members of state teams voting from the list of teams nominated that year.  Meet the Puerto Rico Silver Jackets and the Nebraska Silver Jackets, the 2020  and 2021 Silver Jackets Team of the Year, respectively,  as they share lessons and tips for working effectively together. 

Presenters:

Puerto Rico Silver Jackets – 2020 Team of the Year:

  • Marieli Alvarez-Ulloa, Puerto Rico Planning Board
  • Brian Balukonis, USACE Jacksonville District

Nebraska Silver Jackets - 2021 Team of the Year:

  • Jaime Reinke, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources
  • John Gassman, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency
  • Simone Cohen, USACE Omaha District

Link to Presentation, Recording, and Transcript

Date: December 8, 2021

 

2021 Mid-Atlantic Flood Awareness Campaigns: State of Maryland and Washington, D.C. (Nov 2021)


This past year, the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia both conducted their first ever Flood Awareness campaigns. Maryland’s month-long, and D.C.’s week-long efforts utilized public service announcements, social media posts, poster-ads, webinars and some limited in-person events to raise public awareness on flooding, flood risk, flood insurance and related topics. This Silver Jackets webinar will focus on the methods employed, outcomes and lessons-learned.

Presenters:

  • Joshua Schnitzlein / Martin Koch - District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment, “D.C.’s Flood Awareness Week”
  • Jennifer Sparenberg – Maryland Environmental Service, “State of Maryland’s Flood Awareness Month”
  • Andrew Layman – USACE Baltimore District, “D.C. Flood Awareness Event: Flood Barrier Testing”

Link to Presentation, Recording, and Transcript

Date: November 18, 2021

 

National Inventory of Dams Update and Public Release of USACE Inundation Maps (Oct 2021)


The National Inventory of Dams (NID) maintained and published by USACE, documents more than 90,000 dams in the U.S. and its territories. In November, USACE will be launching a new NID web site to include a modernized search interface, new data displays and additional dam safety resources. For USACE dams, it will include descriptions of the dam, benefits and risks, and planned and ongoing actions to address areas of concern. The new NID will also include inundation maps for USACE dams. USACE is sharing these maps to better help federal agencies, states, emergency managers, infrastructure owners, community leaders, business owners, and residents understand the relationship between USACE dams and the areas they impact.

Presenters:

  • Michelle Carey - USACE Dam and Levee Safety Data Management Team
  • Alex Ubben - USACE Dam and Levee Safety Data Management Team

Link to Presentation, Recording, and Transcript

Link to the National Inventory of Dams

Date: October 26, 2021

 

Exercises in Risk Communication: Serving the Whole Community with a Focus on Socially Vulnerable Populations (Sep 2021)


Risk communication involving socially vulnerable populations is a two-way process that requires engaging and understanding the needs of the community.  Learn how to enhance the effectiveness of risk messaging by creating genuine partnerships and tapping into local priorities and concerns. The webinar includes an overview of several resources that are available to assist with developing risk communication messaging with a focus on reaching socially vulnerable populations. Referenced risk communication resources are available online here.

This webinar was a collaboration with the Bridging the Equity Gap: Flood Resilience for the Whole Community webinar series. You can view all webinars in this series here.

Presenters: Dr. Nnenia Campbell - Deputy Director for the Bill Anderson Fund / Research Associate with the Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder

Link to Presentation, Recording, and Transcript

Date: September 21, 2021

 

Inundation Mapping and Structural Damage Assessment Illinois (Aug 2021)


To better plan for and mitigate flood risk, Illinois River communities need data computed and communicated at a structure by structure level.  Interagency Silver Jackets projects are bringing together the resources and expertise of Illinois DNR, Illinois State Water Survey, and USACE to meet this need with inundation mapping and structural damage assessments.  Available to community officials via web viewer or pdf booklet, the data can be employed to plan, promote, and justify mitigation activities and to improve flood preparedness. This collaborative effort was recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the 2020 First Place Recipient in its Cooperating Technical Partners Recognition Program.

Presenters:

  • Brad McVay, Illinois State Water Survey
  • Glenn Heistand, Illinois State Water Survey
  • Zoe Zaloudek, Illinois State Water Survey
  • Terra McParland, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Water Resources
  • Christopher Hawes, USACE Rock Island District
  • Kaileigh Scott, USACE Rock Island District

Link to Presentation, Recording, and Transcript

Date: August 19, 2021

 

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Resilience Toolkit (July 2021)


The HUD Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) will present on its Community Resilience Toolkit, a user-friendly guide to help HUD recipients and stakeholders identify opportunities to use their CPD funding allocations to mitigate the impacts of natural related hazards. The toolkit helps recipients of CPD funds learn how current and future natural hazard risks may impact their community and actions they can take to reduce those risks, particularly among low-income and vulnerable populations. The toolkit can be downloaded at https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/HUD-Community-Resilient-Toolkit.pdf.

Presenters:

  • Kevin J. Bush, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs, HUD
  • Joey Baietti, Special Assistant, HUD

Link to Presentation, Recording, and Transcript

Date: July 20, 2021

 

USGS Data Sharing and Delivery Tools for Flood Response (Jun 2021)


A USGS panel will brief the Silver Jackets on how to access USGS flood data for event response and planning, and update attendees with plans for improving these systems in the coming years. National and regional views of real-time streamgage flood data are provided through the new USGS National Water Dashboard with long-term plans to integrate USGS flood and other data with information from other sources. Customized subscriber alerts based on those data can be provided via USGS WaterAlert. Storm-tide and highwater mark data are provided via the USGS flood-event viewer (FEV). Site-specific flood extent data may be visualized through the USGS flood-inundation mapping (FIM) toolbox.

Moderator: Robert Mason, USGS

Presenters: Brian McCallum, Shawna Gregory, Dave Yancey, Athena Clark, and Julia Prokopec, USGS

Link to Presentation, Recording, and Transcript

Date: June 22, 2021

 

USGS - Emerging Water Observation Technologies (Jun 2021)


Join to hear an overview of emerging technologies for improving water observations. Jack and John will present short vignettes on a number of technology partnerships with NASA, CMU, USC and industry, including UAS-deployed tools to measure soil moisture, snow and groundwater, surface water velocity and depth, and low-cost, LP-WAN sensors to lower barriers to real-time monitoring of hydrologic networks.

Presenters:

  • Jack Eggleston, Chief, Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch, USGS
  • Jonathan Stock, Director, USGS National Innovation Center

Link to Presentation, Recording, and Transcript

Date: June 16, 2021

 

Introduction to NOAA National Weather Service Office for Water Prediction and National Water Center (May 2021)


The National Water Center (NWC) enables NOAA's National Weather Service, in partnership with other federal agencies and the academic community, to deliver a new generation of water information and services to the nation. These new services will improve preparedness for water-related disasters and inform high-value water decisions at the local, state and national levels. The NWC fosters scientific excellence and innovation, improving water prediction capabilities to support decisions for a water-resilient nation.

Presenters:

  • Thomas Graziano, Director Office of Water Prediction, National Weather Service, NOAA
  • Edward Clark, Director, National Water Center, National Weather Service, NOAA
  • Dr. Fred Ogden, Chief Scientist, Office of Water Prediction, National Weather Service, NOAA

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: May 24, 2021

 FloodSmart - The National Flood Insurance Program (May 2021)


Floods can happen anywhere. To anyone. At any time. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides flood insurance to property owners, renters and businesses. As a component of the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA), the Federal Insurance Directorate has created information to educate and inform about the NFIP.  Participation by our Federal and state partners in NFIP Marketing and Outreach campaigns can influence communities to protect themselves from financial risk associated with flood damage. This presentation will share information about how communities can be protected and recover quickly after a flood. FIMA staff will answer questions and explain why flood insurance is important, the cost of flooding, what’s covered by flood insurance, and identify helpful resources to help our partners spread the word on “How to Be FloodSmart”.

Presenters: LaToya Butler-Jones - FEMA, Federal Insurance Directorate, Marketing & Outreach Branch

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: May 4, 2021

 Effective Communications Strategies for Rural Communities (Apr 2021)


Every community is unique, and disasters impact every community differently. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Risk Management Directorate developed a series of toolkits for community officials, including  A Guide to Supporting Engagement and Resiliency in Rural Communities to help FEMA staff, partners and providers enhance engagement and planning with rural communities as a means to improving hazard mitigation planning and risk reduction efforts. As a part of the webinar, representatives from FEMA will walk through the process by which the Guide was developed, resources within the guide, and examples of when the tools were used successfully, as well as answer questions.

Presenters:

  • Matt Buddie, FEMA Region 8
  • Matt Wagner, for FEMA
  • James Cullen, for FEMA

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Link to A Guide to Supporting Engagement and Resiliency in Rural Communities

Date: April 21, 2021

 Missouri River L-536 Large Scale Levee Realignment - Case Study (Mar 2021)


The Missouri River and tributaries experienced severe flooding in 2019 resulting in numerous levee breaches, inundating 1.2 million acres, damaging infrastructure including farms, railroads, Interstate highways and closure of approximately 470 roads. Missouri River levee L-536, in northwest Missouri in Atchison and Holt Counties, was breached in five locations and significantly damaged. The USACE levee repair alternative analysis determined that a levee realignment around sections of severely damaged levee was a feasible repair option under Public Law 84-99, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers levee rehabilitation authority. The Atchison County Levee District (ACLD) in consultation with the impacted landowners also recognized that the levee realignment would allow more room for floodwater conveyance on the riverside, and when combined with a modern design, would benefit the community now and for future generations. Led by the ACLD and the USACE Omaha District, this project was made possible by a robust partnership of state and federal agencies and non-profit organizations. All partners contributed time, resources, and expertise.

Presenters:

  • Willem Helms, USACE Headquarters
  • Barbara Charry, The Nature Conservancy
  • Regan Griffin,  Atchison County Levee District
  • Corina Zhang, USACE Omaha District
  • David Crane, USACE Omaha District

Links to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: March 17, 2021

 Call for FY22 Interagency Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposals (Floodplain Management Services Program) (Feb 2021)


Silver Jackets teams have previously leveraged this funding opportunity to initiate hundreds of interagency efforts nationwide during the past decade. Not a grant program, the interagency work promotes participation by US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) staff in small nonstructural efforts undertaken with other partners to achieve flood risk management benefits that could not be achieved by any one party alone.  The Fiscal Year 2022 Call for Proposals invites submissions from the USACE Districts, prepared in collaboration with their partners, and provides an opportunity for USACE to offer its engineering and planning expertise to assist local communities and states with nonstructural approaches to manage and reduce flood risk.    

Presenters:

  • Lisa Bourget, USACE Institute for Water Resources
  • Katie Sommers, Wisconsin Emergency Management
  • Terry Zien, USACE St. Paul District

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: February 2, 2021

 Higher Ground: A Clinic to Support Flood Survivors and their Communities (Jan 2021)


Since the program launched in March 2017, Higher Ground has grown into the largest flood-survivor network in the country with 58 members in 21 U.S. states, plus Puerto Rico. The network is diverse, 80 percent of the chapters are led by women, 60 percent represent low-income and communities of color.

In addition to policy advocacy, Higher Ground serves as a clinic that draws upon well-tested community empowerment strategies such as grassroots community organizing, leadership training, and peer-to-peer learning. It adds specialized and highly effective science, counseling, and policy, legal, and art and communications expertise so that communities can more successfully convey the complex challenges they face and advocate for the best solutions to government officials.

Presenter: Harriet Festing, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Anthropocene Alliance

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: January 14, 2021

2020

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 Resilience Guidebooks for Rural Inland Counties in Florida (Dec 2020)


The State of Florida Silver Jackets Team completed the Inland Community Resiliency Project to support the rural inland counties of Columbia and Highlands. The project included preparing a guidebook with proposed solutions to reduce identified risks and building a network of relationships between county emergency managers, state agencies and federal agencies to improve resilience. Currently scaled to achieve increased community resilience at the county level, this work also serves as a pilot project that could be applied to other rural counties in Florida and across the nation.

Presenters:

  • Dan Curcio, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Mitigation
  • Marci Jackson, USACE Jacksonville District
  • Melissa Reynolds, P.E., USACE Jacksonville District
  • Sarah Redmond, USACE Jacksonville District

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Other Materials:

Date: December 10, 2020

 Building Back Stronger (Nov 2020)


The Insurance Institute for Business Safety (IBHS), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) have partnered to help home and business owners get the needed resources to recover and build back stronger.  Home and business owners can reduce the chance of future disaster damage when using an SBA Disaster Loan and rebuilding using IBHS’s FORTIFIED construction standards which go beyond local building codes.  Learn more about the resources available through this team to promote a more resilient community recovery. 

Presenters:

  • Alejandro Contreras, Director of the Office of Preparedness, Communication and Coordination, Office of Disaster Assistance - Small Business Administration (SBA)
  • Loretta Worters, Vice President, Media Relations – Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I)
  • Christina Gropp, Public Affairs Manager - Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
  • Christopher Cioffi, Commercial Lines Engineer (IBHS)
  • Alexandra Cary, FORTIFIED Market Development Manager (IBHS)

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: November 17, 2020

 National Mitigation Investment Strategy (October 2020)


The National Mitigation Investment Strategy's overarching goal is to improve the coordination and effectiveness of "mitigation investments," defined as risk management actions taken to avoid, reduce, or transfer risks from natural hazards, including severe weather. The Investment Strategy aims to catalyze increased innovation and investments across the whole community by focusing on implementing effective mitigation to reduce the burden on response and recovery efforts.

By using the Investment Strategy as a guide, partnerships across FEMA and with external stakeholders can magnify efforts to unify and collaboratively work towards the common goal of increasing the nation's resilience to natural hazards through more effective and efficient mitigation investment. The Federal Government can be a catalyst for mitigation investment, but it cannot be the sole solution, success requires commitment from the whole community to advance holistic resilience.

Presenter: Jamie Leigh Price, Mitigation Investment Lead for the Risk Management Directorate, Federal Insurance Mitigation Administration, FEMA HQ

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: October 8, 2020

 

Risk Communication and Social Vulnerability Across the Disaster Lifecycle: Resources for Practitioners (Sep 2020)


For decades, social scientists have sought to understand how to best communicate disaster risk and encourage households to prepare and mitigate accordingly. Despite a substantial body of research literature around these topics, information does not always make it into the hands of the practitioners who need it the most. This webinar will highlight two resources that were developed to help close this gap: a guidebook that provides evidence-based recommendations and practical examples, and an annotated bibliography that delves deeper into the relevant literature.

Presenters:

  • Lori Peek, PhD, Director, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Nnenia Campbell, PhD, Research Associate, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: September 29, 2020

 USACE National Dam Safety Program - Policy Updates and the National Inventory of Dams (Aug 2020)


The USACE has recently updated USACE policy for emergency action plans and inundation maps. The presentation will focus on this guidance for USACE owned and operated dams and how the policy will be implemented through enhancements to the National Inventory of Dams database.

Presenters:

  • Jacob R. Davis, P.E., Dam Safety Program Manager, USACE Headquarters
  • Jason Sheeley, GISP, Assistant Director, USACE Modeling, Mapping and Consequences Production Center
  • Chris Baker, Lead, Public Awareness and Communications Team, USACE Dam and Levee Safety Programs

Link to Presentation, Recording and Transcript

Date: August 18, 2020

 Alabama Coastal Comprehensive Plan Dashboard (Jul 2020)


The Alabama Coastal Comprehensive Plan (ACCP) Dashboard provides stakeholders a comprehensive look of risk to Coastal Alabama with a focus across key stakeholder values. The goal of ACCP is to reduce vulnerabilities by providing a roadmap that increases the economic, environmental, and social resiliency of coastal Alabama for current and future generations. The presenters will provide an overview of the ACCP objectives and outline how stakeholder input was integrated with the planning process to serve as a guide for the technical team's analysis.  Technical elements of the project will be introduced along with a demonstration of apps that will be used to host analysis results and enable users to interact with project data in a meaningful way.

Presenters:

  • Meredith LaDart, Planner, USACE Mobile District
  • Jackie Wittman, Coastal Engineer, USACE Mobile District

Link to Recording and Transcript

Date: July 16, 2020

 NOAA Natural Infrastructure Resources to Improve Community Resilience (Jun 2020)


Please join us for an interactive webinar to learn about a suite of natural infrastructure products available from NOAA's Digital Coast. Resources highlighted will help participants get started with natural infrastructure planning, from visualizing impacts of coastal hazards and climate change, to prioritizing natural infrastructure options. It will be a great opportunity to explore some new products!

Presenter:

  • Lauren Long, Coastal Conservation Specialist, NOAA Office for Coastal Management
  • John Rozum, Coastal Planner, NOAA Office for Coastal Management

Link to Presentations, Recording and Transcript

Date: June 23, 2020

 Nature-Based Solutions for Coastal Highway Resilience - An Implementation Guide (May 2020)


This webinar highlights the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Nature-Based Solutions for Coastal Highway Resilience: An Implementation Guide. The Guide is designed to help transportation practitioners understand how and where nature-based solutions can be used to improve the resilience of coastal roads and bridges. Nature-Based solutions use natural materials and processes to reduce erosion, wave damage and flood risks. Examples include conservation, restoration, or construction of beaches, dunes, marshes, mangroves, maritime forests, and reefs. The guide summarizes the potential flood-reduction benefits and co-benefits of these strategies. It follows the steps in the project delivery process, providing guidance on how to consider nature-based solutions in the planning process, how to conduct a site assessment to determine whether nature-based solutions are appropriate, key engineering and ecological design considerations, permitting approaches, construction considerations, and monitoring and maintenance strategies.

More information is available for:

Presenter: Tina Hodges, Environmental Protection Specialist, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Link to Presentations, Recording and Transcript

Date: May 27, 2020

 Get on the Plane Jane: How to Stay Connected When You're Up in the Air (May 2020)


Many Silver Jackets teams are foregoing in-person meetings to comply with social distancing requirements. Members of the USACE Collaboration and Public Participation Center of Expertise will present a hands-on webinar about on what Silver Jackets teams can do to continue to stay engaged across the digital divide. The webinar will include principles and best practices for facilitating and participating in virtual meetings and functioning as a virtual team. This presentation is provided by the same team that brought you “Get on the Bus Gus: How to Rev up a Team and Drive it Home” in March 2019. 

Presenters:

  • Andrea Carson, USACE Pittsburgh District
  • Hunter Merritt, USACE Sacramento District
  • Tyson Vaughan, PhD, USACE Institute for Water Resources

Link to Presentations, Recording and Transcript

Links to other resources:

Date: May 5, 2020

 Designing Data to Communicate Risk (Apr 2020)


The presentation will provide an overview of lessons learned from the Nurture Nature Center's (NNC) social science research into how public and professional audiences use and respond to National Weather Service flood forecast products. The presentation will answer the following questions: How does product design, use of language, delivery and source of information lead users to make better - or worse - decisions?  and How can data be used to motivate decision-making during times of high risk and uncertainty? NNC's Executive Director Rachel Hogan Carr will provide examples from nearly a decade's worth of research, conducted in partnership with East Carolina University, with audiences in states across the country, and discuss how lessons learned could help inform other products.

Presenter: Rachel Hogan Carr, Nurture Nature Center

Link to Presentation, recording and transcript

Date: April 27, 2020

 Climate Resilience in Flood Risk Management - Washington Silver Jackets (Mar 2020)


The Washington Silver Jackets Team recently completed an effort to increase the awareness, accessibility and implementation of climate resilience information into flood risk management planning around the state.

The abundance of climate-related data (sea level rise and stream flow projections, assessment tools, adaptation plan, etc.) can be overwhelming, especially for local planners and floodplain administrators. Yet they are asked to incorporate such data into their planning efforts to remain resilient to future flood risk. The WA Silver Jackets team hosted a six-part webinar series to help county- and city-level staff navigate through the resources needed to address climate resilience and also built a climate data resource database. The presentation will summarize both efforts and how they can be used to increase Washington state's resiliency to flooding in a changing climate.

Presenters:

  • Travis Ball, USACE Seattle District
  • Guillaume Mauger, University of Washington

Link to Presentations, recording and transcript

Date: March 18, 2020

 Flood Risk Considerations in the Design and Construction of CityArchRiver Project (St Louis, MO) (Feb 2020)


Learn more about the CityArchRiver project and what was done to improve flooding along a 1.5-mile stretch of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis. The CityArchRiver project was a $380 million renovation of Gateway Arch National Park and its surrounding areas in downtown St. Louis. This was a historic partnership between the private sector and federal, state, and local government agencies. Core partners included the National Park Service, Missouri Department of Transportation, Great Rivers Greenway, Bi-State Development, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, City of St. Louis and Jefferson National Parks Association. Through a unique partnership of public and private funding, many agencies and the St. Louis community came together to change how visitors and the region experience the Gateway Arch. 

Presenters:

  • Mike Ward, Superintendent, Gateway Arch National Park
  • Susan Trautman, Chief Executive Officer, Great Rivers Greenway
  • Ryan McClure, Executive Director, Gateway Arch Park Foundation

Link to Presentation, recording and transcript

Date: February 18, 2020

 USACE Call for FY21 Interagency Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposals (Floodplain Management Services Program) (Feb 2020)


Silver Jackets teams have leveraged this funding opportunity to initiate NEARLY 450 interagency efforts since 2011. Not a grant program, the interagency work promotes participation by US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) staff in small efforts undertaken with other partners to achieve flood risk management benefits that could not be achieved by any one party alone.  The Fiscal Year 2021 Call for Proposals invites submittals from the USACE Districts prepared in collaboration with their partners and provides an opportunity for USACE to offer its engineering and planning expertise to assist local communities and states with nonstructural approaches to manage and reduce flood risk.   

Presenters:

  • Lisa Bourget, USACE Institute for Water Resources
  • Manuela Johnson, Indiana Department of Homeland Security
  • Stacey Underwood, USACE Baltimore District

Link to Presentation, recording and transcript

Date: February 4, 2020

 Crowdsourcing, Citizen Science, and Competitions as Force Multipliers for Enhancing Emergency Management (Jan 2020)


Crowdsourcing, citizen science, and prize competitions are emerging open innovation techniques that are increasingly being used as force multipliers to enhance hazard science and emergency management. Dr. Liu will present various USGS projects using these techniques to detect earthquakes using Twitter data, improve coastal erosion prediction models by asking crowds to analyze aerial photos of the coast, and enhance sub-seasonal climate forecasting for water managers through a $800,000 prize competition. She will also discuss how she helped FEMA develop a Crowdsourcing Unit that leverages digital volunteers and crowd sourced data from the private sector to enhance situational awareness in response to major hurricanes.

Presenter: Sophia Liu, PhD, Innovation Specialist - U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Science and Decision Center

Link to Recording and transcript

Date: January 22, 2020

Latest Webinar

FEMA's National Rollout of the FY23 Swift Current Funding Opportunity (Mar 2024)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has introduced an exciting new funding opportunity called Swift Current. Swift Current is offered under Flood Mitigation Assistance and 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. A total of $300 million in funding is available under the Fiscal Year 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity, which was made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), better known as Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Funds will be made available to states, territories, and federally recognized tribal governments that receive a major disaster declaration following a flood-related disaster event and meet all other eligibility criteria.

Presenter:

  • Shandi Teltschik, P.E., CFM, FMA Swift Current Lead, Flood Mitigation Assistance Section, FEMA

Link to Materials and Other Resources:

Date: March 20, 2024

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supports state-led Silver Jackets Teams through its Flood Risk Management Program.