Jefferson County - East-West Gateway Coordinating Council

A Regional Overview All-Hazard Mitigation Plan 69
Statement of Next Disaster’s Likely Adverse Impact on the Community
Tornadoes have enormous power and destructive ability. Injuries, property damage and
risk of death remain high. Technological advances that facilitate earlier warning, combined
with public education and improved construction techniques, provide the opportunity for
reductions in the number of injuries, reduction in property damage and loss of life. Based
on history from 198 years, the likely adverse impact of future Jefferson County tornado and
thunderstorm events is shown below. The next tornado or severe windstorm will most
likely have a detrimental impact on the community in terms of injuries, property damage
(up to millions dollars in damages from property damage) and death, based upon the past
historic storm events. This is due to the dense population of residents and workers who
live and work in the planning region, as well as the construction methods and standards
used.
Without Mitigation Measures
Life Catastrophic
Property Catastrophic
Emotional Catastrophic
Financial Catastrophic
Comments: None
With Mitigation Measures
Life Limited
Property Limited
Emotional Limited
Financial Limited
Comments: None
Recommendations
That the County Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee initiate a mitigation activity to
convince county residents to construct Tornado Saferooms to help reduce the loss of life
caused by tornadoes.
Severe Winter Weather Hazard (Snow, Ice and Extreme Cold) Profile
Description
Winter weather is different than other hazards such as dam failure or tornadoes in that the
hazard tends to occur over a much larger area, often times affecting areas from several
counties to multiple states. Winter weather includes heavy snow, ice, freezing rain/sleet
and extreme cold temperatures.