Project Impact involves a public-private collaborative effort to shift emphasis from recovery to preparedness and finding ways to minimize the impact of disasters on people and property. This is known as disaster mitigation. Insurance payments add more billions to this. The Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency, working in partnership with officials from the 32 municipalities within the county, will coordinate future plans for dealing with the known threats posed by flooding, tornadoes, severe weather and hazardous materials accidents. Flooding is a chronic hazard in Jefferson County because of its hilly terrain and numerous streams and small rivers.
Tornadoes are a well-known risk as are ice storms.
The area's heavy industries and mining activities make it vulnerable to industrial disasters. The Alabama tornadoes of 1998 raked Jefferson, Covington, Cullman, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa and Walker counties.