South Dakota Silver Jackets

The South Dakota Silver Jackets Team was established in 2012.

VISION STATEMENT

To enhance intergovernmental partnerships which will result in comprehensive and sustainable solutions to South Dakota State flooding and other hazards.

MISSION STATEMENT

Through an intergovernmental team of state and federal agencies, a collaborative process will:

• Facilitate strategic, integrated life-cycle risk management, including response, recovery, preparedness, and mitigation actions to reduce the threat, vulnerability, and consequences of flooding and other hazards in the State of South Dakota;
• Create or supplement a collaborative mechanism to solve flooding and other hazard issues and recommend mitigation measures;
• Foster leveraging of available agency resources and information;
• Increase and improve flooding and other hazard communication and outreach;
• Develop more comprehensive regional risk management strategies; and
• Integrate mitigation measures into recovery actions.

Team Activities

South Dakota Flood History Project

The project designed and placed 22 flood history signs in communities across South Dakota along with developing an interactive story map hosted by the South Dakota State Historical Society Archives. 

The signs and story map detail significant flood events across South Dakota dating from 1881 to 2019. The signs are placed in active public areas communicating the communities' flood risk and standing as a constant reminder that floods happen here. The stories include the personal impacts to residents, how the communities have worked to reduce their flood risk, and highlight the value of establishing and maintaining mitigation measures.