California Silver Jackets

The program is co-led by the California Department of Water Resources (CA DWR) and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), empowered and supported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The California Silver Jackets team brings together federal, state, and regional/local agencies to focus on the State's priorities for flood risk management.

Team Activities and Projects

Current and Upcoming Projects

CA Silver Jackets Launches Levee Maintenance Technical Workshop Series: Session 1

On February 12, 2026, the USACE Flood Risk Management Program, operating under the California Silver Jackets team, successfully hosted the inaugural virtual Levee Maintenance Technical Workshop. Facilitated in conjunction with state partners from the California Department of Water Resources, the event brought together subject matter experts to thoroughly discuss the PL 84-99 program, eligibility requirements, and USACE levee inspections processes.

Link to Workshop 1

CA Silver Jackets Levee Maintenance Technical Workshop Series: Session 2 – DWR Levee Integrity & Inspections.

On March 12, 2026, the USACE Flood Risk Management Program successfully hosted the second virtual session of the Levee Maintenance Technical Workshop Series. Working in close collaboration with the California Department of Water Resources, this workshop focused deeply on DWR Levee Integrity, covering essential inspections, reporting protocols, and best practices. Subject matter experts from specialized state units guided participants through a comprehensive agenda, highlighting critical topics such as erosion surveys, designated floodway inspections, construction oversight, and the Utility Crossing Inspection Program.

Link to Workshop 2

CA Silver Jackets Levee Maintenance Technical Workshop Series: Session 3 – Infrastructure Resilience

On April 9, 2026, the USACE Flood Risk Management Program successfully hosted the third virtual session of the Levee Maintenance Technical Workshop Series under the California Silver Jackets project. Collaborating with the California Department of Water Resources and industry experts from GEI Consultants, this critical session focused on "Levee Infrastructure Resilience" to address what every modern levee manager needs to know. Presenters led in-depth discussions on adapting infrastructure to a changing climate, managing the compounding impacts of floods, atmospheric rivers, and droughts, and overcoming emergency response challenges during wildfires and wind events.

Link to Workshop 3

CA Silver Jackets Levee Maintenance Technical Workshop Series: Session 4 – Senate Bill 5 and the National Levee Safety Program

On May 14, 2026, the USACE FRMP team hosted and facilitated the fourth workshop in the Levee Maintenance Technical Workshop Series under the California Silver Jackets project. We teamed up with state partners and experts to help local managers navigate the latest safety guidelines and see how new safety programs affect their day-to-day work. Instead of getting bogged down in complex rules, our presenters walked through practical training on how to use online tools to evaluate levees and spot potential flood risks early. The virtual session was a big success, drawing over 70 participants and offering two continuing education credits for certified floodplain managers. By sharing these hands-on tools, the Silver Jackets team is making it much easier for local communities to get the training they need to keep their levees safe.

Link to workshop 4 not available yet

CA Silver Jackets team members take FEMA Evacuation Planning Training to improve Safety and Support Communities

On March 18, 2026, our Silver Jackets staff participated in an insightful 8-hour training on flood and hazard evacuation planning hosted by our partner agency, FEMA. The course not only helped SJ staff grow our emergency preparedness and safety skills, but it also provided the opportunity to build relationships with other participating agencies. These efforts continue to strengthen our collaborative spirit and keep our communities safe.

Check out our Silver Jackets Team Staff taking FEMA Evacuation Planning Training in San Francisco.

Annual California Silver Jackets Leadership Team Meeting

The USACE California Silver Jackets Coordinators recently hosted a comprehensive, day-long workshop in partnership with state leads from the California Office of Emergency Services and the Department of Water Resources. The primary goal of this event was to strengthen the vital role of Silver Jackets Interagency Flood Risk Management Teams by building a collective understanding and expanding the vision for collaborative activities across the state. The workshop kicked off with introductory remarks from LTC Virginia Brickner and featured inspiring, historical perspectives from National Silver Jackets leadership to set the stage. Guided by practical themes exploring the "past, present, and future" alongside strategies for "before, during, and after floods," participants actively shared their unique capabilities and identified critical, shared flood risk management priorities. This collaborative event was a major success, leaving attendees highly energized and prepared to take the next practical steps toward robust interagency flood risk management throughout the state of California.

California Silver Jackets Leadership Team Members: California Office of Emergency Services, California Department of Water Resources, and US Army Corps of Engineers 

The Pajaro Emergency Planning and Risk Communication Team completes flood fight training with DWR in October 2024

The Pajaro Interagency Emergency Flood and Crisis Communications Plan is officially finished as of March 5, 2026. This project brought USACE together with local counties, the National Weather Service, and community members to create a better safety net for the region. The team developed a clear emergency plan for the levee system and a strategy to help people stay informed and safe during floods. By improving how we prepare and communicate, this plan works alongside new levee construction to help save future lives. Local agencies are already putting these ideas into action, proving how successful this partnership has been for the community.

California Dept of Water Resources' Flood Operations Center leads a flood fight training for community, regional, and local partners in the Pajaro Crisis Communications Planning effort.

Watershed University

Led by the California Silver Jackets, Watershed University is a free webinar series that provides education and networking opportunities for California professionals in floodplain management, water/water resources management, emergency management, and related fields. Topics typically focus on flood risk reduction. More information can be found online at: Watershed University (ca.gov)

After Wildfire: A Guide for California Communities (2019):

The After Wildfire Guide is an interagency response to requests from fire-affected communities for a single, consolidated resource that can help them recover from a wildfire and plan for post-wildfire hazards.

Flood After Fire California Toolkit (2020)

The Flood After Fire California Toolkit is a collection of tools, methods, and other resources – grouped into chronologically distinct periods of a flood after fire response timeline – to help assess the risks associated with flooding and debris flow after a fire. It includes appendices and case studies.

Flood After Fire California Toolkit Resources

Snapshot of Past Projects (2023-2024)

Paynes Creek H&H Study, Tehama County, California (2023-2024)

As part of a Silver Jackets effort, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a flood risk H&H assessment for the remote community of Paynes Creek in Tehama County, CA. As the project partner, Tehama County is poised to take action to reduce flood risk within Paynes Creek based on results of hydraulic modeling. The expectation is to work closely with CA Department of Water Resources, CAL OES, CALFIRE, Tehama County, USGS, and FEMA to identify ways to alleviate flooding issues for the Paynes Creek community, and use the partnerships and lessons learned to serve additional communities that are facing similarly dire flooding problems.

San Joaquin Nonstructural Workshops (2023-2024)

On 24 JUL 2023, as part of the San Joaquin Nonstructural Flood Risk Workshops project, the Nonstructural Flood Risk Mitigation Options Public Workshop for the San Joaquin Valley took place in Grayson, CA. Presenters from National Weather Service, USACE, DWR, River Partners, City of Modesto, Department of Transportation, and Stanislaus County discussed ways to manage flood risk in the San Joaquin Valley. Following this public workshop, a workshop for San Joaquin Valley Policy Makers was held in Modesto, Ca on 25 July 2023.

On 25JUL23, as a part of the San Joaquin Nonstructural Flood Risk Workshops project, a Nonstructural Flood Risk Mitigation Options Workshop was held for San Joaquin Valley Policy Makers in Modesto, CA to discuss ways to manage flood risk in the San Joaquin Valley. The workshop and River Partners site visit was well attended and well received by partners and policy makers.

CA San Joaquin Valley Tabletop Exercise (2024)

The goal of this project is to identify data and coordination gaps, and brainstorm how each of the three regions that make up the San Joaquin Valley could support each other during a flood emergency. This project will build upon the 2020 CA Emergency Response Exercise project, which worked to address communication challenges identified during previous high-water events. This project would support the facilitation of a tabletop exercise for the San Joaquin Valley.

CA Emergency Planning (2024)

This goal of this project is to bring together Federal, state, and local stakeholders from the social services, affordable housing, floodplain management, and emergency response communities for a series of workshops focused on the Greater Sacramento area and San Diego County. This project will include workshops with involved agencies, providing cross-training of social services resources for levee maintaining agencies while discussing the current conditions, current and proposed actions, and recommendations for future management of the system. Additionally, this project will build critical relationships with local organizations that can support future USACE efforts.

Tribal Emergency Management and Floodplain Management Workshops (2024)

These workshops will focus on floodplain ecosystems, emergency response planning and resources, nonstructural tools and strategies, and a potential site visit of flooding issues on Tribal lands within the Sacramento District.  The workshops will also provide information on support and funding available for flooding preparation and response activities through USACE and partner agencies. Workshops would be focused on California, Nevada, and Utah Tribes where recent flooding has occurred.  Funding will support the development of materials for the workshop and general outreach efforts for Tribes.  These would build on relationships developed from previous workshop efforts before the pandemic occurred.