Puerto Rico Silver Jackets

VISION STATEMENT ADOPTED IN JUNE 2019

The Puerto Rico Silver Jackets Team is comprised of the Government of Puerto Rico and its Agencies, Municipalities, Non-Governmental Organizations, Academia, and Federal partners, who share the vision of promoting best practices to enhance community resilience and recovery from Natural Disasters with a focus on sound flood risk management practices.

The Puerto Rico Silver Jackets Team was recognized by their peers as the 2020 Silver Jackets Team of the Year.

Team Activities

• Floodplain Manager’s Video
• High Water Mark Project

Toa Baja High Water Mark Signage Project

The purpose of this interagency effort was to design informational high water mark signage to enhance community awareness and flood preparedness. In September 2017, Puerto Rico suffered catastrophic damage due to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, where approximately 166,000 residential structures were damaged or destroyed due to coastal flooding, tidal surge, and high winds.  After the event, USGS surveyed and cataloged approximately 181 high water marks across the island to establish peak flooding elevations. The Silver Jacket interagency team validated the accuracy of the USGS high-water marks in Toa Baja, selected the most visible/feasible locations, and developed/designed outreach signage to mark peak Hurricane Maria flooding levels.  The municipality is in the process of installing the signs for community awareness. In addition, the project greatly strengthened the relationships between the local municipality and Puerto Rico/Federal agencies, to mitigate natural and non-natural flood hazards, in accordance with the 2021 Puerto Rico State Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan (PRSNHMP).