Flood Risk Management: Wisconsin Silver Jackets Team

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
Published Feb. 27, 2015
Updated: Sept. 25, 2023
Purpose

Silver Jackets teams are collaborative, state-led, interagency teams that are continuously working together to reduce flood risk at the state level. Through the Silver Jackets program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, additional federal, state, and sometimes local and tribal agencies provide a unified approach to addressing a state’s flood risk priorities. Often, no single agency has the complete solution, but each may have one or more pieces to contribute.

Location

Silver Jackets team activities and projects occur throughout Wisconsin.

Description

The Silver Jackets program has multiple primary goals:

  • Facilitate strategic lifecycle flood risk reduction;
  • Create or supplement a continuous mechanism to collaboratively solve state-prioritized issues and implement or recommend those solutions;
  • Improve processes, identifying and resolving gaps and counteractive programs;
  • Leverage and optimize resources;
  • Improve and increase flood risk communication, and present a unified interagency message; and
  • Establish close relationships to facilitate integrated post-disaster recovery solutions.

Wisconsin has participated in Silver Jackets flood risk management activities since 2009 and formally adopted a charter in January 2016. All team activities are coordinated with the Corps’ Detroit and Rock Island districts. The team convenes as the Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation Team and conducts annual meetings and supplemental meetings as necessary.

Status

The Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation Team currently has three ongoing interagency projects in fiscal year 2023.

  • Baraboo River near Baraboo flood inundation mapping will be completed in fiscal year 2024.
  • Trempealeau River at Arcadia flood inundation mapping will be completed in fiscal year 2024.
  • Baraboo River flood 2-dimensional HEC-RAS storage study and will be completed in fiscal year 2024.
Authority

The Silver Jackets team is a national coordination program activity funded by various authorities: Section 206 of the Flood Control Act of 1960; Section 22 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1974; and the Flood Control Act of 1955 (PL 84‒99).

Funding

Total Federal Funds Allocated to Date

Fiscal Year 2013‒2023                              $1,205,610