Climate change is projected to make flooding worse and more difficult to manage. Flood management decisions made today will have implications that last decades or longer. This means that communities and agencies need to plan for the impacts of climate change now to ensure that public resources are used effectively and that local communities are prepared to deal with increasing flood risk associated with a changing climate.

Due to the complex nature of flood risk management, collaboration between different organizations is essential for success. The Washington State Silver Jackets is an inter-agency group aimed at coordinating among almost a dozen state and federal flood risk management agencies. This study has three goals:

1. Document how and to what degree climate change science resources are being used today by Washington Silver Jacket agencies,
2. Identify existing barriers to the integration of climate science in flood risk management, and
3. Create a work plan for the Washington Silver Jacket team to further incorporate climate change in flood risk management within the State of Washington.

Through a series of in-depth interviews with Washington Silver Jacket members, this study explores ways to better integrate climate change information into flood risk management. Based on those discussions we identified a set of goals for climate-resilient flood risk management and used these to develop a work plan oriented around five key recommendations:

1. Develop improved estimate of future flood impacts
2. Develop resources for local planners
3. Build capacity and coordination on resilient floodplain management
4. Improve public engagement
5. Coordinate floodplain management goals and planning

The authors would like to thank FEMA for generously funding this research. We would also like to express our appreciation for the Washington Silver Jackets Team for their participation in this research, and specifically those members who contributed their time and expertise as interviewees in this project.

Integrating Climate Resilience in Puget Sound Floodplain and Working Lands Programs: This project is aimed at developing an initial understanding of the climate information needed for robust floodplain planning in the Puget Sound region. We provide summaries of key climate change impacts for stormwater management and floodplains, insights from individuals who have been witnessing these climate impacts and a roadmap towards integrating climate change in floodplain management at varying scales.