Disaster Planning and Response Resources
Every history organization is susceptible to a disaster, be it an earthquake, fire, flood, storm, or another calamity. Properly preparing for a disaster can help your organization be better prepared to recover, and could even make the difference in your organization’s survival. Should a disaster befall your institution, these resources will help your organization respond.
AASLH thanks Ann Marie Willer of the Northeast Document Conservation Center for providing many of the resources listed here.
AASLH Resources
Disaster Planning: Observations From a Firsthand Perspective
Field Services Alliance Tips: Emergency Preparedness
I have a Disaster Plan. Now What?
Technical Leaflet #220: Closing the Barn Door: Dealing with Security Issues
Climate Change
Cultural Heritage and Climate Change: Science, Threats, and Opportunity: This recorded webinar is about the field’s most common climate change-related challenges, and the tools being used to become resilient in the face of such sweeping change.
Keeping History Above Water: Heritage Resilience in a Changing Climate: This recorded webinar provides an overview of the Keeping History Above Water conference and program series, founded by the Newport Restoration Foundation. The conference series focuses on discussions and conversation around protecting historic resources from the effects of climate change, specifically sea level rise.
Other Resources
An After Action Review is a reflective exercise that can take place after a disaster and improve responses to future disasters. This guide is from UNICEF.
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has a comprehensive list of resources for disaster recovery that includes helpful phone numbers and websites for advice and consultation for museums in active disaster recovery.
The American Institute for Conservation and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation has recorded webinars available about disaster and emergency preparedness and response.
Building an Emergency Plan: A Guide for Museums and Other Cultural Organizations: This publication from the Getty Conservation Institute provides guidance on how to create a plan for all types of emergencies any organization with a collection can use. It also includes information on physical safety for employees and visitors.
The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts has a list of emergency planning resources on its website.
Having a Crisis Communication Plan is an important part of any response. Ready.gov offers advice for creating one.
Cultural Resources GIS Disaster Preparedness: The National Park Service is documenting cultural resources as a preservation, planning, and problem-solving tool for local, tribal, state, and national communities.
dPlan|ArtsReady is an online emergency preparedness and response tool for arts and cultural organizations, regardless of size, scope, or discipline.
Guidance for Protest Preparedness at Cultural Institutions: Developed by the Oklahoma Museums Association in collaboration with the DC Alliance for Response, this guide provides a checklist of things to consider if a protest happens at your location in order to protect collections, employees, and visitors.
How to Develop an Effective IT Disaster Recovery Plan: This guide from Acronis details how to prepare your data and IT infrastructure for a disaster and how to quickly recover.
How to Respond to an Active Shooter: Risk Management is a website with lots of short articles on topics related to emergency preparedness from an insurer’s perspective. This resource offers practical, possibly life-saving advice for organizations of all sizes.
Insurance Considerations for Shooting Incidents: Any emergency or disaster your organization can face will impact your insurance coverage, even mass shootings. This article details the ways you are covered under your general liability insurance and where there may be coverage gaps.
IT Continuity Plan: This worksheet will help you plan for IT continuity and recovery in the case of a disaster.
Know Your Finances: This worksheet from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety can help you plan for your organization’s financial needs in the event of a disaster or other disruption.
Master the Disaster is a response and recovery card game for museum and library personnel from James Madison University.
MayDay: Libraries, museums, archives, historical societies, and preservation organizations are encouaraged to set aside May 1 each year to do one thing for emergency preparedness.
Mutual Aid Agreements: History organizations may benefit from mutual aid agreements with other organizations and institutions should a disaster occur. This guide from the Zoo Animal Health Network explains considerations and how to write such agreements.
The National Park Service Checklist for Preservation and Protection of Museum Collections covers all aspects of collections preservation, not just disaster preparedness.
National Park Service Museum Handbook: Chapter 10 addresses almost all emergencies that can take place at a history or cultural organization. In addition to great advice in caring for objects and structures, it addresses active shooters, protestors, and more.
Use the National Park Service Object Assessment Form to evaluate a single object and improve fire protection for it.
Preservation Leaflets are available from the Northeast Document Conservation Center about preparing for emergencies.
The Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative has resources for emergency preparedness. Gain skills and experience in disaster response with their Heritage Emergency and Response Training.
Succession Planning is an important consideration in any disaster planning. This guide from Executive Transitions will help you develop a plan in case staff members are no longer able to serve in their roles.
Table Top Planning Scenarios: From the Library of Congress, this guide can help you create a collections emergency response plan.
Working with Emergency Responders provides information about the systems and practices of emergency responders and tips for working with responders.
The Worksheet for Outlining an Emergency Response Plan from the Northeast Document Conservation Center can be used to build your organization’s first emergency response plan or to ensure that your current plan has all the elements listed in the worksheet.
Archives
Records Emergencies: Resources from the National Archives to prepare for and manage records emergencies.
Collections
Wet Salvage Workshops: The Northeast Document Conservation Center offers in person workshops.
Risk Assessment
A Guide to Risk Management of Cultural Heritage from the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property is an extensive guide on this topic.
Risk Assessment Maps can help you assess and understand hazards that your site may face. These tools can also provide information that can support grant applications and applications. See the Hazard Risk Assessment Map from Climate Resilience Resources for Cultural Heritage and the National Risk Index from FEMA.
The Risk Assessment Process Manual from the Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists is a brief guide that explains the risk assessment process.
The QuiskScan—A Quick Risk Scan to Identify Value and Hazards in a Collection: This article describes the development of the QuiskScan, a quick risk scan, which yields an overview over a collection, its values and vulnerabilities with comparatively little effort.
Updated October 10, 2024
AASLH Resources
How Should Museums Contribute to Community Recovery After Disasters?
Technical Leaflet #234: Disaster Planning, Preparedness, and Recovery
Up in Flames: The Importance of Having a Good Relationship with Your Local Fire Department
Other Resources
Alliance for Response Networks are made up of a variety of members, from staff and volunteers at local cultural institutions, to conservators in private practice, to first responders and emergency managers.
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has a comprehensive list of resources for disaster recovery that includes helpful phone numbers and websites for advice and consultation for museums in active disaster recovery.
Disaster Declaration Process: Familiarize yourself with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster declaration process in case one is declared in your state and county.
dPlan|ArtsReady is an online emergency preparedness and response tool for arts and cultural organizations, regardless of size, scope, or discipline.
FEMA Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide: This publication from the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides information about federal disaster funding for private nonprofits.
Field Guide Assessment Form: Use this form to assess the initial situation of a disaster and the condition of collections.
Field Guide to Disaster Relief: From the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response, this guide was was created to help demystify federal disaster relief for the culture sector.
AASLH is a partner of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, which is co-sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Smithsonian Institution. HENTF works to protect cultural heritage from the damaging effects of natural disasters and other emergencies.
The National Heritage Responders, a team of trained conservators and collections care professionals administered by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, are available 24/7 to provide advice and guidance.
The Northeast Document Conservation Center operates a Collections Emergency Hotline at 855-245-8303 that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Save Your Family Treasures: The downloadable FEMA fact sheets “After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures” and “Salvaging Water-Damaged Family Valuables and Heirlooms,” are available in multiple languages. Your organization can use this information to recover from a disaster and you can distribute these resources to your community when a disaster strikes.
The Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative has resources for emergency response.
Archives
National Disaster Recovery Fund for Archives: The Society of American Archivists provides grants that support the recovery of archival collections from major disasters.
Records Emergencies: Resources from the National Archives to prepare for and manage records emergencies.
Collections Care
Preservation Leaflets are available from the Northeast Document Conservation Center on salvaging collections.
Rapid Collections Assessment: This form can be used immediately after a disaster to assess the condition of your collections.
Salvage at a Glance: Organized by collections format type, this guide provides guidance on how to salvage collections.
Wet Salvage: These videos explain how salvage items damaged by water.
Grants
Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions: This guide from the National Endowment for the Arts includes summary descriptions and contact information for 15 federal grant and loan programs and covers sources of federal assistance for preparedness, mitigation, and response, as well as for recovery.
Updated October 10, 2024
This list is intended to help history organizations connect to resources in their state that address disaster planning and response.
Florida
- Disaster Planning for Florida’s Historic Resources: This manual focuses on steps that local communities can take, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Florida Division of Historical Resources, to ensure that local historic resources are appropriately considered in emergency management activities.
- The Florida Department of Health has emergency preparedness and recovery resources.
- FloridaDisaster.org from the state’s Division of Emergency Management has resources to plan, prepare for, and recover from a disaster.
- Florida Division of Arts and Culture emergency preparedness and recovery resources.
- Florida Division of Historical Resources disaster mitigation and recovery resources.
North Carolina
- Cultural Resources Emergency Support Team (CREST)
- Disaster Preparedness and Response resources from the State Historic Preservation Office.
- Disaster Relief Grants: The North Carolina Preservation Consortium and the North Carolina Museums Council provide grants to help support recovery efforts for institutions affected by Federal and State declared natural disaster events.
Oregon
South Carolina
- Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Resources from the Department of Archives and History.
Texas
- Hurricane Preparedness Resources from the Texas General Land Office.
Updated October 11, 2024