Texas Collections Emergency Resource Alliance
An Educational Resource for Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery for Texas Cultural Heritage Institutions
A part of the FAIC Alliance for Response (AFR) Network.
Webinar - Mold Control - August 15
Webinar: August 15, 2023
The slides and recording of this webinar can be found on our Resources Page under Response Webinars.
Presenter: Tara Kennedy, Head, Preventive Conservation, Yale Library Center for Preservation and Conservation
When water is part of an emergency situation, it is almost inevitable that mold growth will occur on objects and in collection spaces. How can you manage a moldy situation? What are the steps necessary to take care of this problem? Please join us on August 15th to discuss this topic in the context of collections emergency response.
Workshop - Introduction to Emergency Preparedness for Cultural Heritage - October 26/27
2-Day Workshop: Thursday, October 26 - Friday, October 27, 2023
Location: Fair Park /Fair Park First Visitors Center (old Natural History Museum)
We are excited to partner with the Office of Arts and Culture, Dallas, to co-host this introductory workshop on the importance of having an Emergency Response Plan in place.
Registration opening soon...
New Resources
Hurricane and Fire Season - Advice for Institutions
If you have a disaster plan, dust it off and make sure it's up to date.
Make printed paper copies of your disaster plan and contact list available to all employees. (Digital copies may become unavailable due to power loss.) The Pocket Response Plan™ (PReP™) creates a wallet-size version of your emergency contact roster.
Determine and rank the likelihood of disasters, hazards and/or other emergencies in your area. You can use FAIC's tools for risk evaluation to guide your assessment.
Complete a site/facilities/buildings assessment. Eliminate hazards such as storage in hallways, blocked fire exits, or improper storage of paints, solvents, etc.
Get to know your local First Responders. Estimate site location/distance and response-time considerations in the event of a disaster.
Plan to train and drill an in-house disaster team. Review personnel abilities, training needs, and responsibilities.
Assess assets and collection materials, including a review of current insurance, documentation and prioritization of assets.
Investigate resource availability and review Vendor Contracts.
Test and revise the preparedness, response, and recovery plans.
Provide staff with easily accessible disaster response information, such as the Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel.
Find alerts (such as the FEMA app or local community alerts) to receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service.
No disaster plan? Commit to creating one by making a timeline for developing it. The following links can provide a starting point. View our Resources Page for additional information to help customize one for your site:
Current Grant and Funding Opportunities
This is a rotating section of available disaster planning, response, and recovery grants or other funding opportunities for Cultural Institutions, Historic Sites, Museums, Archives or Special Collections.
Emergency Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) Program - The Emergency CAP is more flexible in that it does not adhere to the annual schedule of the regular CAP program. The goal is to help museums in federally declared disaster areas receive post-disaster collections care recommendations from conservation and building professionals on an expedited basis.
Texas Library Association (TLA) Disaster Relief Fund - The Texas Library Association awards grants to libraries impacted by natural disasters. Grants range from $2,500 to $5,000 and can be used for technology, facility repair, collections, furnishings, or other needs related to storm damage. Academic, public, school and special libraries are eligible to receive assistance.