Resources
Real-Time Forecasts
Texas A&M Forest Service - Observed & Forecast Fire Dangers - Real-Time Map
NOAA - National Hurricane Center - Atlantic Graphical Marine Forecast Map
TexasFlood.org - Near Real-Time Maps (water levels and real-time highway conditions)
ICS & First Responder Community
Planning & Preparedness Overview
According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, an Emergency Preparedness Plan establishes arrangements in advance to enable timely, effective, and appropriate responses to hazardous events or emerging disaster situations. It provides the overall strategy for minimizing the impact of an emergency, describes the organization and its collections, and clearly defines staff roles in varying emergency situations. An emergency plan will only be effective if your staff understand the plan and have the resources to implement it.
This includes activities such as:
Create A Contact List: Creates a chain of command and ensures that the authority to make decisions concerning collections can be done during off-hours
Create An Inventory and Priority List of Collections: Include types of collections, access restrictions and locations and then share this information with first responders
Create An Equipment and Supply Cache: Have at least a basic emergency supply kit available on-site - e.g. plastic sheeting, paper towels, nitrile gloves, masks
Identify Alternate Collection Storage or Triage Locations: Have a safe alternate place to take collections to remove them from further potential harm
Develop A List of Emergency Vendors: Have contracts and priority list information in place prior to an event or incident to expedite recovery (this can include mutual aid agreements between institutions)
Share and Practice the Emergency Plan: Every staff member should know the institution's emergency procedures and understand their role in implementing them
Emergency Planning Tools
ArtsReady - dPlan
NEDCC - 3.4 Worksheet
AIHA - Cultural Heritage Emergency Preparedness and Response: Guidelines for the OEHS Professional
CCI - Emergency Preparedness for Cultural Institutions: Identifying and Reducing Hazards (questions to ask during planning phase)
AIC Wiki - Emergency Preparedness & Response
Harvard Library - Jump-start Your Emergency Plan: Collections Emergency Preparedness Benchmarks (fillable document)
Chicora Foundation, Inc. - Protecting Your Institution From Wild Fires: Planning Not To Burn And Learning To Recover
NEDCC - Recommended Wildfire Resources for Cultural Heritage Organizations
TAM - PREP Planning for Response & Emergency Preparedness Manual
GCI - Building An Emergency Plan: A Guide for Museums and Other Cultural Institutions
Ready.gov - Hurricanes
ICOM/ICMS - Handbook on Emergency Procedures: Disaster Resilience
MDEM - Emergency and Risk Resources
Health & Safety in Disaster Recovery Environments
Your health and safety is priority number one (1) in any response situation.
OSHA - Personal Protective Equipment
AIC Wiki - Health & Safety
Donning and Doffing PPE - Instructional Slides
OSHA - Appendix D
OSHA - Fact Sheet: Protecting Workers from the Effects of Heat
TDI - Museum and Cultural Heritage Industry Workplace Program
Asbestos and Mesothelioma - Asbestos and Natural Disasters Guide
Emergency Kits & Go-Bags
ARCS - Emergency Supply Development Manual - English / Spanish
ARCS - Sustainable Emergency Kits
CCAHA - Water Emergency Supply Kit List
Table Top Exercises
Planning & Preparedness Webinars
Planning & Preparedness Document, Contract, and Form Examples
Emergency Response Procedure - Draft Template
NEDCC - Mutual Aid Agreement Template
LANO - Disaster Preparedness: Continuity of Operations Planning for Nonprofits
Department of Preventative Conservation - Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Plan (CHSP) Handbook
Mitigation Overview
FEMA describes “mitigation” as the "effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters." In order for mitigation to be effective, institutions should take action now—before the next disaster—to reduce loss or risk to collections later (analyze risk, reduce risk, and insure against risk).
For cultural institutions, having a solid understanding of your institution's risks and hazards will allow you to better communicate your emergency plans to employees, management, and board members and create a safe working environment for staff, researchers, volunteers and the general public.
Identify Potential Threats and Hazards: Protect internal interests by identifying potential hazards to building sites and collections.
Perform Risk and Disaster Assessments: Perform credible risk assessments using scientifically valid and widely used risk assessment techniques. A risk assessment, whether detailed or broad, is a tool to aid in prioritizing resources for preserving the collection.
Analyze and Incorporate Findings: Incorporate risk, disaster, and hazard assessments into the Emergency Planning process.
Mitigation Resources
1000 Friends of Florida - Disaster Mitigation for Historic Structures
National Park Service - Guidelines on Flood Adaptations 2021
Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service - Assess and manage risk in collections care: a Collections Care How To Guide
GOHSEP - Resilient Heritage - Protecting Your Historic Home from Natural Disasters Booklet
NARA - Fire Safety Self Inspection Form for Cultural Institutions
ARCS - Emergency Prep During Construction: A Risk Assessment Addendum - English / Spanish
SHARE Museums East - Assess and Manage Risk in Collections Care: A Collections How-to Guide
Museum of London & Birmingham Museums - Risk Awareness Profiling Tool (RAPT)
Hazards
Smithsonian Institution - Chapter 24: Collection-Based Hazards
AIC Health and Safety Committee - Controlling Hazardous Collection Materials, PPT
AIC News - A Conservator’s Guide to Labeling Hazardous Chemicals
American Museum of Natural History – Residual Pesticides (Information on chemical pesticides commonly found in collections materials)
U.S. Department of the Interior - Frequently Asked Questions about Contaminated Museum Collections
Smithsonian Institution - Hazards in Collections Chart
Museum of London - Hazards In Collections E-Tool
Mitigation Webinars
THC & TX-CERA Part 1 of 2-part webinar series - “Recovering from a Disaster: Procuring Insurance and Managing Risk Before a Disaster Occurs”
THC & TX-CERA - Understanding and Upgrading Your Collection Preservation Environment
Citaliarestauro - 4 Key Points for Risk Management
DHPS|NY - Risk Assessment Webinar for Collecting Institutions
AIC - Risk Assessment Webinar
C2CC - Identifying and Managing Hazardous Materials In Museum Collections
Mitigation Document, Contract, and Form Examples
OSHCON & National Park Service - Fillable Risk Assessment Worksheet
FAIC - Site Questionnaire
FAIC - Walk-through Checklist
Response Overview
First and foremost, personal safety is more important than any collection. No one should be allowed into an affected area until emergency service personnel have declared the space to be safe. This may take time. Use this time to revisit your institution's emergency plan, contact and assemble your response team, and begin plans for your salvage efforts.
***Special Note from the American Institute for Conservation***
Even after the building is deemed safe to enter, you still have to consider the following hazards:
Exposed hazardous materials such as: asbestos from insulation, and other building materials, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in some transformers and in old fluorescent light bulbs, lead from lead paints, mercury and mercury vapor from fluorescent lights, broken glass, nails and other debris.
Beyond building issues, the collections themselves may also be hazardous. Zoological collections may contain residues of old pesticides including heavy metals such as arsenic and mercuric compounds, or other pesticides like DDT, paradichlorobenzene, or naphthalene. Specimens themselves may be stored in formaldehyde, ethanol, and/or isopropanol.
In the case of tropical storms and flooding, the flood waters may also have left hazardous residues such as sewage or heavy metals.
AIC Response Suggestions
Initial Damage Assessments (Document and Photograph) - It is important to take the time to document the emergency from the beginning. Photographic and written accounts will help to capture information that may otherwise be forgotten in the rush to salvage your collection. Incident records will not only help you learn from the event, but also provide needed documentation for questions of liability and insurance. The initial damage assessment phase begins as soon as access to the site of the incident is granted. Damage assessment documentation should capture the broad picture quickly, without getting caught up in details.
Incident Reports - Incident reports will help chronicle the response and salvage efforts, in addition to outlining damages to the building and collection. An incident record can be as simple as notes on a legal pad, to forms specific to your incident's needs.
Salvage Priorities - Salvage priorities may vary, but include vital institutional documents, items on loan, the unique and valuable objects previously listed on the priority list, fragile objects or those made from vulnerable materials.
Response Resources
SI - PRICE - Emergency Documentation
The Museum of Modern Art - Immediate Response for Collections
NHR Tip Sheet - Removing Large Paper Items from Flat Files
NHR Tip Sheet - Drying Wet Collections & Buildings
NHR Tip Sheet - Evacuating Collections: What You Should Know
Preparing Alaska’s Cultural Organizations (PACO) - Situational Awareness and Initial Damage Assessment
ICCROM - First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis - Toolkit
TX-CERA - Soot Removal Resource
NHR Tip Sheet - Mold In Collections
NCPTT - Post-Disaster Care of Cemeteries
Salvage Resources
FEMA - Save Your Family Treasures - Fact Sheets Available in English and Spanish
Western Association for Art Conservation (WAAC) - Salvage at a Glance by Betty Walsh
Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) - Preservation Leaflets
National Archives - Objects Recovery
Kathleen Kiefer - Wet Textile Rescue - Five Points to Consider
FEMA - After the Fire: Advice For Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures
CCAHA - Salvaging Photograph Collections
CCAHA - Salvaging Photographs (Spanish)
CCAHA - Salvaging Books
CCAHA - Freezing & Drying of Books, Paper and Photographic Material
CCAHA - Salvaging Art on Paper
CCAHA - Salvaging Art on Paper (Spanish)
Image Permanence Institute - Response and Recovery of Fine-Art Inkjet Prints during Water Emergencies
Colorado-Wyoming Association of Museums - Ash Cleanup for Museums
CCAHA - Damage Glossary
TX-CERA Quick Guide to Wet Salvage Methods - Posters
Mobile Apps
FAIC - Emergency Response and Salvage App - Apple Version
NCPTT - Emergency Response and Salvage
DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration - Emergency Response Guidebook App (for both Apple and Android)
NIOSH - Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
NCPTT - Risk Calculator App
Heritage Preservation Videos
Heritage Preservation Video - Getting Started (11:09)
Heritage Preservation Video - Water Segment (10:50)
Heritage Preservation Video - Mold (7:58)
Heritage Preservation Video - Soot & Ash (7:00)
Heritage Preservation Video - Mud (7:33)
Heritage Preservation Video - Corrosion (6:30)
Heritage Preservation Video - Broken Objects (3:29)
Heritage Preservation Video - Hazardous Materials (6:37)
Salvage Videos
Response Webinars
NPS - Response and Recovery
THRAB - Response for Archives
TX-CERA & Guest Speaker Tara Kennedy - Managing the Mustiness: Mold Control and Collection Emergency Response
Response Document, Contract, & Form Examples
Recovery Overview
It is important to know that the recovery process may take time. The goal is to stabilize the collection and avoid or reduce future risk.
This may include: building repairs or renovations, conservation of the collection, or applications for grants or relief funding to support recovery efforts.
Recovery Resources
Grants Plus - Emergency Grant Opportunities for Museums
THC - Grants and Fundraising
AIC - Funding Resources
FAIC - Find A Conservator
FAIC - Emergency (CAP) Program
Recovery Webinars
THC & TX-CERA Part 2 of 2-part webinar series “Disaster Response: Insurance Claims and Collections Recovery”
Recovery Document, Contract, & Form Examples
NHR Tip Sheet - Working With Recovery Vendors: What You Should Know
FLICC Preservation & Bindery Working Group - Disaster Recovery Contract - contains recommendations for the content of a contract for recovery services, and what you should expect from a viable recovery service vendor
Additional Courses, Institutions & Programs
AIC Learning Community - Previous Courses, Webinars, and Programs
National Heritage Responders (NHR) Hotline: (202)661-8060
Texas Historical Commission (THC) -
Texas Historic Sites Atlas - The Historic Sites Atlas is a self-enlisting database of all cultural entities in Texas.
NEDCC - Disaster Assistance
COSTEP MA - Recovery
CCI - Notes
ARCS - Emergency Preparedness
Valuable Resources - Requires Purchase
Book by David Carmicheal - Implementing the Incident Command System at the Institutional Level
Book by David Carmicheal - Tabletop Exercises for Cultural Institutions
Book by AIC and SPNHC - Health and Safety for Museum Professionals
Heritage Preservation - Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel