Jefferson County - East-West Gateway Coordinating Council

A Regional Overview All-Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Missouri Seismic Safety Commission (under Missouri statutes RSMo 44.227, 44.229,
44.231, 44.233, 44.235, and 44.277) has developed a Strategic Plan for earthquake safety
in Missouri. This plan contains recommendations for earthquake mitigation. Use of the
Strategic Plan by the County would facilitate mitigation planning.
Missouri has an organization called Structural Assessment and Visual Evaluation (SAVE)
coalition. The Coalition's objective is to assist the Missouri State Emergency Management
Agency (SEMA) in the execution of its responsibilities with respect to the use of qualified
volunteers in the emergency assessment of buildings following catastrophic events.
S.A.V.E. volunteers consist of architects, professional engineers, and other qualified
professionals that assist SEMA in assessing buildings and vertical structures following
catastrophic events. The S.A.V.E. Coalition also includes the American Institute of
Architects/Missouri (AIA/MO), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the
Consulting Engineers Council of MO (CECMO), and the Missouri Society of Professional
Engineers (MSPE).
County and Municipal Policies and Development Trends
At present, the county is more densely developed in the northern third of the county; along
Interstate 55, located along its eastern boundary; and the State Highway 21 and State
Highway 30 corridors. Jefferson County’s population was 198,099 in 2000, increasing by
15.6 percent in the last decade. It is predicted that the county will see an increase of 11
percent by 2010, and about 28 percent by 2025, with a population of about 253,000. Of
the county population of 198,099 in year 2000, almost 74 percent lived outside
incorporated areas.
Jefferson County has a current master plan, zoning, subdivision regulations, and a building
code. Of the municipalities in the county, seven answered that they have master plans and
six did not answer. Seven have zoning, subdivision, stormwater, and building codes; six
did not answer.
Refer to Table J53 that summarizes Jefferson County capability assessment.
Funding Sources
There are several sources of funding for both pre- and post-disaster hazard mitigation
policies and projects. While all mitigation techniques will likely save money by avoiding
losses, the cost of implementing mitigation efforts can be substantial and well beyond the
local government’s capacity to fund the mitigation activity. There do exist federal and state
funding programs that can be utilized for funding assistance. Following is a list of some
sources of funding presently available. This list is not comprehensive and as new programs
can be developed, or existing programs can be eliminated or modified.
7