AASLH is reaching out to our constituents in the recent flood affected areas in Louisiana. As a member of the Heritage Emergency National Taskforce, AASLH contacted 171 constituents about damages to Louisiana heritage institutions. The Taskforce has provided the resource list below to be distributed to those in need:
- A news release from the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation about its National Heritage Responders (NHR), the all-volunteer cadre of preservation professionals trained to assist cultural stewards and the public in salvaging and recovering their collections and valued possessions. The release is available at http://www.conservation-us.org/docs/default-source/emergency-resources/baton-rouge-nhr-release-8-16.pdf.
- The FEMA fact sheet “After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures,” which provides guidance to salvaging treasured family heirlooms and links to helpful resources. The fact sheet is attached and is also available for download from the FEMA Document and Resource Library at http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1452008937293-2c5cf070cabce562b9ae8727abbdc7e9/Flood_FIMA_Fact_Sheet_2015_508.pdf.
- The best source of information on federal disaster funding for private nonprofits is FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide, which was released in January and is available at http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1456167739485-75a028890345c6921d8d6ae473fbc8b3/PA_Program_and_Policy_Guide_2-21-2016_Fixes.pdf.
- ArtsReady provides links to guidance and aid for artists and arts organizations, available at https://www.artsready.org/page/useful_links?ct=t(APAP_Webinar_Promo8_16_2016)&mc_cid=fb65874015&mc_eid=318f4891c1; scroll down to the Recovery heading.
- Also, as a part of the taskforce, the Society of American Archivists Foundation has a National Disaster Recovery Fund for Archives that provides grants (albeit small ones of $2,000 or less) to support recovery of archival collections from major disasters. The application process is pretty simple and the grant review committee is prepared to act quickly. Read more about the Fund here: http://www2.archivists.org/news/2008/national-disaster-recovery-fund-for-archives. Contact Nancy Beaumont for more information at [email protected]
If you have not been affected by natural disaster, we encourage you to take the time to prepare now so as to mitigate damages if something were to occur. More resources on emergency preparedness.
