The ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums advises "careful attention should be given to the development of policies to protect the collections against natural and man-made disasters."
We offer internationally certified professional and experienced expertise in disaster recovery and continuity planning for cultural institutions. Our professionals will ensure appropriate policies and procedures are in place to protect your museum's collections in accordance with the ICOM code of ethics. RecoveryAdvice@att.net
This primer discusses how to plan for, salvage, and care for paper objects in emergencies, such as fire, flood, and earthquake. The Primer was issued by the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and Records Administration, Library of Congress, and National Park Service.
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.
Tips for Salvaging Water Damaged Valuables
FEMA Flood Tips --Saving Water-Damaged Books: When flood waters recede, water-damaged books are a common problem for returning residents. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has obtained general information and recommendations from the National Task Force on Emergency Response about initial steps to take in salvaging wet books.
SAVING PHOTOGRAPHS AFTER THE FLOOD: As flood victims return to their homes and begin the difficult cleanup, federal officials are offering helpful tips on saving family photographs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is working with the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and the Heritage Preservation to make sure flood victims have the benefit of expert advice.
SALVAGING WATER-DAMAGED TEXTILES
Cultural Heritage Resources for Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, Prepared by the National Task Force on Emergency Response
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and Heritage Preservation (HP) offer the following general recommendations for homeowners who have had family heirlooms and other valuables damaged by severe flooding. These recommendations are intended as guidance only and neither AIC or HP assume responsibility or liability for treatment of water-damaged objects.
A cooperative network of public and academic libraries in San Bernardino, Riverside, and Eastern Los Angeles Counties which work together to prepare for and recover from disasters.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
This site is the result of a joint project of the Baltimore Academic Library Consortium, BALC. The BALC group developed information on disaster recovery of library materials and worked on a list of supplies, experts and services to assist during a disaster. The web site provides a searchable database of these resources and a page to add a resource.
The IDIN, provided as a public service by Internet Direct and Telekachina Productions, helps to distribute the latest news on disaster situations to the Internet community via the World Wide Web. (This site is dedicated to the memories of those killed in the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing and to the men and women of Oklahoma City's emergency services, without their heroic efforts, this disaster could have been even worse.)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency -- FEMA -- is an independent agency of the federal government, reporting to the President. Since its founding in 1979, FEMA's mission has been clear:
to reduce loss of life and property and protect our nation's critical infrastructure from all types of hazards through a comprehensive, risk-based, emergency management program of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
The Disaster Research Center (DRC), the first of its kind in the world and the oldest in the United States, was established at the Ohio State University in 1963 and moved to the University of Delaware in 1985. DRC engages in a variety of social science research projects on group and organizational preparations for, responses to, and recovery from community-wide emergencies, particularly natural and technological disasters. DRC has conducted over 533 field studies since its inception. Teams have systematically collected data on earthquakes in Japan, Chile, Yugoslavia, Italy, Iran, El Salvador, Greece, Mexico, California, and Alaska; hurricanes in the southern and eastern United States and Puerto Rico, as well as Japan; floods in Italy, Canada, and more than a dozen states; and tornadoes and hazardous chemical incidents in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Other studies have focused on the social aspects of large explosions, forest fires, plane crashes, shore erosion episodes, destructive tidal waves, major dam breaks, and blizzards throughout the U.S. and in Aus-tralia, Italy, and Canada and different parts of the United States. A dozen cities struck by major disasters have been restudied several years after the initial research. For a comparison, DRC has also examined organizational responses to civil disturbances and riots.
Recent studies have focused on social and organizational aspects of mental health service delivery in disasters, community response to acute chemical hazards, mass media reporting of disasters, problems involved in mass evacuation and sheltering, and the organizational and public response to the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. Previous research has examined legal aspects of governmental responses in disasters, the emergence and operation of rumor control centers, the functioning of relief and welfare groups in stress situations, and the sociocultural aspects of mass fatality situations.
