Disaster preparedness and response

A disaster resource database, originally built from the Philadelphia Area Emergency Resources List compiled by Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) with funding from The William Penn Foundation. The original design of this site was by the Preservation Department of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at Johns Hopkins University. The database information is maintained by Michigan State University Libraries and the California Preservation Program. Many other institutions and individuals have also contributed to the success of this website, providing information on suppliers and services for disaster recovery.

This site is now hosted and maintained by FAIC as a component of Conservation OnLine (CoOL). Experts in many arenas of material culture conservation have also contributed to this site and can provide assistance in the event of a disaster.

See also Commercial Services
For post-disaster data recovery services and electroncic equipment repair see Commercial data recovery services

Hurricane Katrina Emergency information and Resources
Health & Safety

Resources listed by organization/author
Disaster Plans
Case histories
Other documents
Other disaster/emergency resources
Professional Organizations and Certification

Resources listed by Organization/Author

A Primer on Disaster Preparedness, Management and Response: Paper-Based Materials (links verified 26 Aug 2015)

Selected Reprints issued by
Smithsonian Institution,
National Archives and Records Administration,
Library of Congress,
and National Park Service

Trudy Huskamp Peterson

Introduction
Anonymous
Forward
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Institution Staff Disaster Preparedness Procedures, prepared by Office of Risk Management, October 1992, revised, October 1993
See also Smithsonian Institution Archives below
NARA

Emergency Salvage of Flood Damaged Family Papers, August 1993
Peter Waters, The Library of Congress

Procedures for Salvage of Water Damaged Library Materials, extracts from unpublished revised text, July 1993
National Park Service

Mold and Mildew: Prevention of Microorganism Growth In Museum Collections

Alaska State Museum

Ellen Carlee: Fire Suppression Systems. Conservation Report, Ellen Carrlee for the Alaska State Museum, May 2008 (link verified 26 Aug 2015)

"Summary Recommendations: Due to the challenges we have with various systems in this building (computers, pipes, power outages etc.,) the asbestos issue, the degree to which we strive to be prepared for water emergencies, and the limits of technical assistance in Juneau, a wet pipe system is recommended for the ASM collections storage. Luckily, it is one of the least expensive fire suppression systems on the market, so it would be wise to pursue the best quality product and installation we can. We may want to consider the possibility of a VESDA system for smoke detection. Comparisons of various systems [are] listed"

American Institute for Conservation (AIC)

National Collections Emergency News

"The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) established this website to provide a centralized repository of news and other information useful or those involved in efforts to preserve cultural material impacted by the hurricane as well as related health and safety issues."

Emergency Committee

AIC Disaster Response and Recovery Page

The AIC Cultural Emergency Response Team (AIC-CERT) is a team of trained conservators prepared to deploy in the event of a disaster and capable of coming in to an institution and provide advice and damage assessment. AIC-CERT responds to the needs of cultural institutions during emergencies and disasters through coordinated efforts with first responders, state agencies, vendors and the public. Volunteers can provide advice and referrals by phone at the number above.

AIC Find A Conservator tool

Australian National Botanic Gardens

ANBG's A Disaster Recovery Plan for The Australian National Herbarium, Canberra link verified 9/1/2015

Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA)

What to Do About Your Home Movie Damage link verified 8/31/2015

The Bishop Museum

Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Works of Art on Paper link verified 26 Aug 2015)

California Preservation Clearinghouse (CPC) (links verified 26 Aug 2015)

CPC's Emergency Preparedness & Response section offers a Pocket Response Plan for Collections, a Generic Disaster Plan Workbook, a Library Disaster Plan Template, information on running a Disaster Plan Exercise, etc.

Global Museum

Disaster News Real-time news 24 x 7 (links verified 26 Apr 2015)

Heritage Preservation (links verified 26 Aug 2015)

The Heritage Emergency National Task Force is co-sponsored by Heritage Preservation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Disaster Mitigation Planning Assistance

"Part of disaster planning is knowing who to call for help and where to obtain services and supplies. Our Search tool allows you to search by state, multiple states nationally, or by type of service, expert, or supply. The results of your search can be downloaded into an Excel document for easy updating of your institution's disaster plan.

"Disaster plans for cultural institutions, including libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives, help to mitigate damage to collections in the event of a disaster. For examples of disaster plans, see the Sample Plans. Information on recovery techniques may be found in the Resources page. Regional conservation preservation field service offices where you can find assistance in writing a disaster plan and where help is available in the event of a disaster are also linked in Resources.

"Please help this resource to grow by contributing experts, services, and supplies you are aware of in your region. Note: Listing of companies, products, and experts does not constitute a recommendation.

"The Disaster Mitigation Planning Assistance Website was a joint project of Library of Congress Preservation Directorate, the Center for Great Lakes Culture and the California Preservation Program. Prior to joining FAIC on Conservation OnLine, the database was maintained by Library of Congress Preservation Directorate and the California Preservation Program."

Kansas Historical Society (links verified 26 Apr 2015)

Disaster recovery page contains links to Kansas Disaster Recovery Assistance Network

"Most disasters are minor in nature effecting fewer than 250 volumes or 150 cubic feet of records. A roof leak, broken water line or backed up floor drain could result in a minor disaster. KDRAN encourages libraries and archives to maintain disaster caches (drums) that will provide the materials needed to react to a minor disaster at your institution."

National Archives and Records Administration (links verified 26 Apr 2015)

Vital Records and Records Disaster Mitigation and Recovery

This instructional guide addresses the identification and protection of records containing information that Federal agencies may need to conduct business under emergency operating conditions or to protect the legal and financial rights of the Federal government and the people it serves. This guide also recommends policies and procedures that will allow agencies to assess the damage to and implement the recovery of any of their records that may be affected by an emergency or disaster.

National Network of Libraries of Medicine (links verified 26 Aug 2015)

NNLM Emergency Preparedness and Response Toolkit

Rebuilding after Typhoon Sudal: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Funds Yap State Hospital Medical Library

Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) link verferied 26 Aug 2015

Formerly the Upper Midwest Conservation Association (UMCA) Disaster response and recovery services

During business hours call: 612-870-3128 or 612-870-3120.

The MACC staff is available 24 hours-a-day, 7 days a week to give immediate assistance with disaster recovery efforts. Institutions and individuals experiencing a collections disaster can contact MACC to consult on the best practices to protect and recover their collections.

Call the main phone number, 612-870-3120 and you will be directed to a staff member immediately or to an after-hours emergency phone. For non-urgent issues, MACC email is answered during the day. This can also be an effective communication link to knowledgeable MACC conservators. The main email for that contact is: info@preserveart.org

National Park Service (NPS) (links verified 26 Aug 2015)

After the Flood: Emergency Stabilization and Conservation Measures

Museum Handbook, Part I, Emergency Planning and Response, Chapter 10

Primer on Disaster Preparedness and Response

Conserve O Grams on disaster recovery

21/1 Health and Safety Hazards Arising From Floods 2002

21/2 An Emergency Cart for Salvaging Water-Damaged Objects 2002

21/3 Salvage of Water-Damaged Collections:Salvage at a Glance 2002

21/4 Salvage at a Glance,Part I:Paper Based Collections 2002

21/5 Salvage at a Glance,Part II:Non-Paper Based Archival Collections 2002

21/6 Salvage at a Glance, Part III: Object Collections 2002

21/7 Salvage at a Glance, Part IV: Natural History Collections 2003

21/8 Salvage at a Glance, Part V: Textiles 2003

21/9 Be Prepared: Develop a Museum Emergency Operations Plan

21/10 Museum Staff Emergency Procedures: A Sample Emergency Telephone List

21/11 Museum Staff Emergency Procedures: A Sample Emergency "Flip Chart"

3/4 Mold and Mildew: Prevention of Microorganism Growth in Museum Collections 1993

3/5 Volcanic Ash: Cleaning Museum Objects 1993

3/6 An Insect Pest Control Procedure: The Freezing Process 1994

3/7 Monitoring Insect Pests with Sticky Traps 1998

3/8 Controlling Insect Pests: Alternatives to Pesticides 1998

3/9 Anoxic Microenvironments: A Treatment for Pest Control 1999

NEDCC

Disaster Assistance (link verified 26 Aug 2015)

Includes a Hot Line to call in case of a collection-threatening emergency, offering disaster assistance day or night, seven days a week

"As part of its Field Service program, NEDCC offers an emergency assistance program for institutions and individuals with damaged paper-based collections. NEDCC staff members are available 24 hours a day to provide telephone advice if a disaster occurs. This service is provided at no charge thanks to a grant to NEDCC from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). It does not normally include on-site assistance.

Information provided includes advice on drying wet collections and dealing with damage from fire, pests, or mold. Referrals to commercial disaster recovery service providers experienced with library and archives collections can also be provided."

Protection from Loss: Water and Fire Damage, Biological Agents, Theft, and Vandalism

An Introduction to Fire Detection, Alarm, and Automatic Fire Sprinklers

Disaster Planning

Worksheet for Outlining a Disaster Plan

Emergency Management Bibliography

Emergency Salvage of Wet Books and Records

Emergency Salvage of Wet Photographs

Emergency Salvage of Moldy Books and Paper

Protecting Collections During Renovation

Integrated Pest Management

Freezing and Drying Wet Books and Records

dPlan: The Online Disaster-Planning Tool

"A Free Template for Writing Disaster Plans. NEDCC and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) have created dPlan, a free online program to help institutions write comprehensive disaster plans. dPlan provides an easy-to-use template that allows museums, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions of all sizes to develop a customized plan ..."

Costep: coordinated statewide emergency preparedness

"The COSTEP Framework is a planning tool designed to bring together cultural resource institutions with emergency management agencies and first responders. It will provide a blueprint for preparing for area-wide disasters and building alliances with federal, state, and local emergency management agencies. COSTEP guides states through the process of planning for a disaster"

New York University

Disaster Plan Workbook link verified 8/31/2015

Northern States Conservation Center

NSCC's Emergency Preparedness pages has info on planning and recovery, as well as info about the A.R.K: A Recovery Kit. link verified 8/31/2015

Public Library Association

Richard W. Boss: Disaster Planning for Computers and Networks link verified 8/31/2015

National Screen and Sound Archive
(formerly ScreenSound Australia) links verified 8/31/2015

Disaster Prevention and Disaster Recovery Planning

Fire Affected Photographic Materials

First Aid for Water Damage

Fire Affected Video Tapes

Fire affected audio materials

First Aid for Fire Damaged Audio Visual Material

Recovering audiovisual treasures from flood damage

San Diego/Imperial County Libraries Disaster Response Network link verified 8/31/2015

A Basic Disaster Supply Can

SILDRN is a regional cooperative organization, formed in 1995 by San Diego State University, California State University-San Marcos, San Diego Public Library, University of San Diego, and University of California-San Diego. Its purpose is to provide mutual aid in preparing for and coping with disasters affecting libraries and their collections.

Smithsonian Institution Archives link verified 8/31/2015

Select Resources for Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, and Response for Archives, Museums, and Libraries

Society of Georgia Archivists (link verified 26 Aug 2015)

Shelter from the Stormy Blast: A Guide to Disaster Recovery Services for Georgia and the Southeast

"Shelter from the Stormy Blast is intended for the use of libraries and archives, but records repositories, museums, historical societies, and other agencies will also find resources included with their needs in mind. As its subtitle indicates, Shelter from the Stormy Blast has been prepared specifically for institutions in Georgia and the Southeast. However, much of the material has general application and will be of use to institutions throughout the United States.

"Originally, Shelter from the Stormy Blast grew out of a disaster planning process conducted by the Preservation Committee of the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE). It was published by ARCHE and the Southeastern Library Network, Inc. (SOLINET) in 1998.

University of Missouri Records Management links verified 9/1/2015

Guide for Developing a Disaster Plan

How to Prepare and Implement a Disaster Recovery Plan

Vital Records Protection Program Guide: Disaster Recovery (DR) and Preparedness for Information Protection

General Objectives of a Disaster or Contingency Plan

UNESCO links verified 8/31/2015

Vacuum freeze-drying, a method used to salvage water-damaged archival and library materials: a RAMP study with guidelines

Floods in Europe: Damages to libraries and archives

Western Association for Art Conservation (links verified 27 Apr 2009)

The Western Association for Art Conservation (WAAC) has published a great deal of information on disaster recovery and response. Searching for terms such as flood*, disaster*, earthquake*, etc. will yield valuable articles, among them:

Geary W. Sikich: All Hazards' Crisis Management Planning
Betty Walsh: Salvage Operations for Water Damaged Archival Collections: A Second Glance. May 1997; Salvage at a Glance. may 1997; Salvage Operations for Water Damaged Collections. May 1988
Barbara O. Roberts: Fire Suppression and Life without Halon
Nicholas Artim: Cultural Heritage Fire Suppression Systems: Alternatives to Halon 1301; An Introduction to Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Part 1; An Introduction to Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Part II
Bruce Kamerling: Observations from a Halon Fire Extinguishing System Test
Elisabeth Cornu and Lesley Bone: Seismic Disaster Planning: Preventive Measures Make a Difference

LYRASIS (links verified 26 Apr 2015)

LYRASIS was formed in 2009 through the merger of SOLINET Pand PALINET

LYRASIS' Disaster Assistance Services
Disaster Resources & Supplies
In addition, SOLINET published Sandra Nybergs's The Invasion of the Giant Spore, which provides important information about dealing with mold.

Disaster Plans

Case Histories

California State University, Northridge

Oviatt Library Quake Damage (link verified 8/31/2015)

Willie M. Jones

Trial by Tornado: One records facility's response to a devastating tornado demonstrates the necessity of a solid disaster recovery plan (Infopro, March 2000, Volume 2, Number 1 page 37-39)

"In November 1998, around 2 a.m., a tornado swept through Columbia, Missouri, in a matter of minutes. That morning, the University of Missouri records management staff arrived at their workplace to find broken windows and holes in the roof and walls. Loading dock doors and entire trees were gone, ripped away by the storm. The walls of the microfilm operations had been partially knocked down and equipment lay scattered around the room. ...

"Fortunately, the records management staff had prepared a plan far in advance of the storm. Without one, they would never have been able to be up and running again so quickly. Whether the records are electronic or paper, there is a lot of information to consider when evaluating and grouping various record series for value, retention, disposition, and protection in the event of disasters."

TIC-TAC-Tornado. Disaster Recovery Journal, Volume 12, Issue 2, Spring 1999

An account of the response to the November 1998 tornado damage to a records management facility at the University of Missouri System

Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) (links verified 26 Aug 2015)

Proceedings of the 8th Annual Federal Depository Library Conference, April 12-15, 1999

Contents include:

Mary M. Finley: Disaster Planning for Libraries: Lessons from California State University, Northridge
Gail Fithian: The Aftermath of the Flood at the Boston Public Library: Lessons Learned
Fred C. Schmidt: Disasters: Plans, Clean-up, and Recovery_ The Colorado State Experience
Joan Loftus: Disasters: Plans, Clean-up, and Recovery at Stanford University Libraries

Proceedings of the 9th Annual Federal Depository Library Conference, October 22-25, 2000

Contents include:

Stephen Henson: Writing the Disaster Response Plan: Going Beyond Shouting "Help! Help!"

Other disaster/emergency resources (links verified 27 Apr 2009)

AMIGOS Imaging, Preservation, and Collection Care Services: links verified 9/1/2015

"For immediate guidance in the event of an emergency, call the Amigos Imaging, Preservation, and Collection Care service for information, referrals to local resources, and on-site assistance. Amigos offers assistance before, during, and after an emergency. Our staff members are available to assist your institution with planning activities and recovery from damage caused by various emergency situations, including natural disasters."

AMIGOS "is available to assist your institution with planning activities and recovery from damage caused by various emergency situations, including natural disasters, fire, pipe leaks, mold and pest infestations, construction accidents and vandalism."
Disaster Plan Template for Libraries and Archives
Disaster Plan Template for Museums
Preservation Suppliers for Book Repair
Preservation/Conservation Suppliers And Services
Document Reprocessors, a commercial service providing vacuum freeze-drying, air and vacuum drying, and other services related to the recovery of water and fire damaged materials. See especially their Tips page links verified 9/1/2015<

"Document Reprocessor's exclusive, patented Thermaline® Process provides gentle but effective mechanical straightening during the drying procedure. Patented by us in 1990, Thermaline drying and reconstitution is particularly effective on books and paper media."
"Thermaline is a vacuum freeze-drying process in which wet books are restrained from warping and distorting as water is removed. The process compresses books back into their natural shapes, minimizing cover board warpage. It allows most books to be returned directly to shelves with no additional restoration required. The Thermaline® process does more than restrain books from distortion during drying: It also compresses books back into a more natural shape while minimizing cover board warpage. The result is that Thermaline® reduces the need to rebind books by up to 90%, as a consequence of controlled straightening during freeze-drying and compression."
East Midlands Museum Service (EmmS) REDS 24 Hour Emergency Line link verified 9/1/2015

"REDS is a free membership benefit of the East Midlands Museums Service. To receive this benefit, members must return an Annual Operating Agreement."

"There is a strong element of self-help—the REDS Team are there to help those who help themselves. REDS offers a degree of support, expertise and guidance based on regular Team members' training. The REDS Team currently comprises fifteen members—three representing and living in each of the five large counties of the region. All are museum or record office staff, a mix of conservators and curators, who between them have expertise in most of the specialist subject areas found in historic collections. Their employers have agreed to release them without notice for duties with the REDS Team. The REDS Service also offers advice and training outside the region on a consultancy basis. Please note that the REDS team can only assist you if (your Annual Operating Agreement is up to date.)"
Council of State Archivists Resource Center links verified 9/1/2015

Includes links to resources organized by state. It includes sections on Continuity of operations, Emergency planning and response, and Disaster supplies and services vendors
Belfor link verified 9/1/2015

Offers emergency response, dehumidification, drying, document and media recover, etc.

"Belfor Property Restoration is the North American leader in integrated disaster recovery and property restoration services. With more than 100 full-service offices in the U.S., we are geographically positioned to respond to almost any disaster—large or small—to coast. A proven track record of superior response and unmatched resources has made BELFOR the contractor of choice for damages caused by fire, water, wind or other catastrophes."
Midwest Freeze Dry Ltd., a commercial service offering freeze-drying as well as anoxic treatments; pest control, deacidification, and biological decontamination. link verified 9/1/2015
Munters, a commercial service offering desiccant dehumidifiers, dehumidification systems for humidity control, water damage recovery and humidity control. link verified 9/1/2015
Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, a national and international clearinghouse for information on natural hazards and human adjustments to hazards and disasters. Among the offerings are the Natural Hazards Observer, and Disaster Research. link verified 9/1/2015
ProDoc Srl, A commercial service offering prevention, emergency response, management, rescue and restoration of paper records and digital libraries. PRODOC has an agreement with the ICRCPAL (Central Institute for Restoration and Conservation of Archival Heritage and Librario), which is entrusted with a consulting assignment for the performance of ' inspection activities diagnostic, microbiological and entomological of Books and documentaries that do not belong to the state link verified 9/1/2015
ProText (Disaster supplies for libraries, archives, museums, ReactPack, Rescube, dehumidifiers, water diverters, disaster manuals) link verified 9/1/2015>
Risk Awareness Profiling (RAPT) link verified 9/1/2015

"RAPT was developed by a team at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in partnership with the Museum of London as part of the UK Government's Renaissance in the Regions programme. RAPT is a simple and quick online questionnaire--taking between thirty minutes and two hours to complete. At the end of the assessment users are provided with a graphical profile of risk awareness in their organisation. The profile uses a 'traffic light' system to indicate tan organisations level of risk awareness. RAPT also provides the user with comprehensive help that guides them to existing sources that will enable them to improve their organisations risk management."

"The tool has been developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts and practitioners, including leading museum risk specialist Jonathan Ashley-Smith. This is the first tool to comprehensively measure risks to your entire heritage asset. RAPT has been developed using a STEEPLED scanning methodology which considers social, technological, economic, environmental, political, legal, ethical, and demographic factors that can affect business continuity and resilience."

Related resources

SECURMA: The Museum Security Network link verified 9/1/2015

In addition to information on security and safety museume, libraries, and archives, SECURMA has information on Fire and fire protection and Safety plans including:

The Australian Disaster Management Information Network link verified 9/1/2015>

California Department of Water Resources, Division of Flood Management link verified 9/1/2015

Provides a great amount of material concerning flooding—including current flooding—in California, including maps, satellite data, information about roads, etc.

United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UN-WCMC_

Although the focus of this resource is on environmental conservation, it provides information about environmental emergencies that can be of use to cultural institutions, archaeological and natural history conservators, etc.

During "environmental emergencies", such as major fires or oil spills, information is needed rapidly to support the activities of those responsible for coping with the problems that arise. WCMC has access to much of the relevant information, and is in a position to retrieve it quickly and distributed it to those concerned with planning measures to reduce environmental damage....

Earthquake Engineering Online Archive link verified 9/1/2015

National Information Service for Earthquake Engineering, Berkeley (NISEE)

Images of Historical Earthquakes: The Jan T. Kozak Collection

USGS

Earthquake information by state

Historic World Earthquakes

Professional Organizations and Certification

Disaster Management at Coventry University. link verified 9/1/2015: The School offers the BSc Honours Degree in International Disaster Engineering and Management, the BSC Honours Degree Development and Health in Disaster Management and the MSc Degree in Disaster Management.
Disaster Response Institute, International (links verified 26 Aug 2015): DRII provides training and certification
Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (link verified 26 Aug 2015): IICRC is a professional organization that promotes standards and provides training, certification and research into emergency recovery services, primarily focused on the building trades
Restoration Industry Association (link verified 9/1/2015): The RIA, formerly the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration, is the parent organization for a number of cleaning and restoration trades

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