It makes a difference. It really does. Having a written plan, doing staff training prior to an event, thinking about all the possibilities and how you would respond. If you have done this preparation, when the unthinkable happens, you are better able to react and respond quickly and appropriately. This saves lives and collections. Because, in a disaster, people don't think clearly, having all the steps clearly written down, makes it much less stressful. All you do is follow the script. Which is much better than standing in the middle of a flooded storage room, flapping your hands and moaning incoherently. (Yes, one curator was doing that when a conservation reponse team arrived 24 hours after the disaster.) Conservators should not be in charge of the disaster recovery at a museum site. That is the responsibility of the museum's staff. Conservators have specialized knowledge that should be used effectively. But they are not good with registration and object tracking, which are essential post disaster skills.  Make sure you understand your responsibilities and the roles each specialist plays. All this is clarified when you write a disaster plan.

Courses we recommend:

MS002: Collection Protection - Are you Prepared? On-line Short Course

Books and products we recommend:

The A.R.K.: A Recovery Kit. Based on emergency personnel's incident command system, the A.R.K. is used by museums throughout Minnesota. Created to assist disaster recovery, the A.R.K. leads staff through the first 24 hours of a musem disaster. Applicable to any disaster, the kit provides six laminated position description cards with fill-in resource lists on each, five collection recovery posters, name tags, permanent marker and recovery priority cards. Packaged in a waterproof envelope. The kit should be kept in one to three staff members' cars, so it is immediately accessible.

Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel helps staff prepare for a disaster and recover after one strikes. It is a nice compliment to the A.R.K. (above), fitting in its plastic sleeve.

Steal This Handbook is a comprehensive book covering emergency preparedness and response for every conceivable type and scale of disaster on historic and non-historic materials. Written by the Southeastern Registrars Committee of the American Association of Museums, we purchase it before it is bound and have it punched to fit in a three ring binder. Adding dividers, it becomes an instant addition to an institutional emergency response plan. Response professionals can add useful articles to the enormous amount of recovery information already provided in the book.

Before Disaster Strikes: Prevention, Planning, and Recovery - Caring for Your Personal Collections in the Event of Disaster by Priscilla O-Reilly Lawrence. A pamphlet designed by the Historic New Orleans Collection for homeowners and collectors to help them prevent damage in the event of a disaster. Includes resource lists and illustrations.

The Super Wipe Sponge These extraordinary synthetic PVA sponges have an open-celled structure that is most like natural sea sponge. It absorbs more than natural sponges and won’t tear. The unique, uniform cell structure acts as a holding chamber for liquid. Chamois-type sponges can pick up liquids 5 to 10 times faster than other natural or synthetic products. PVA sponges are not affected by gasoline, oils, most solvents, acids, inks and most household chemicals. Sponge comes damp in a plastic bag in a hard plastic storage tube.

CCI Tech Bulletin #18 Fire Prevention Programs for Museums by Paul Baril
Will help museums develop and implement effective fire prevention programs. The basic elements of fire prevention programs are discussed, as well as the administration of the program. Numerous examples are provided to help museum staffs prepare documents and procedures.

CCI Tech Bulletin #19 Security Hardware and Security System Planning for Museums by Wayne Kelly
Helps cultural institutions with their preparations against threats of theft and vandalism. Numerous, inexpensive methods of improving security and various types of currently available sensors and computerized alarm systems are illustrated and described. Several kinds of sensors and their placement within a standardized level of protection proposed for each area in a cultural facility are also recommended.

Vol.2 No.1
Fire Recovery

Links to related information on other sites:

How Libraries Can Prepare for Natural Disasters and Preserve Community History
https://onlinegrad.syracuse.edu/blog/emergency-preparedness/

Terms - Glossary of Disaster Terms
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/
disasters/misc/vitalrec/app_f.html

Florida Division of Emergency Management
http://www.floridadisaster.org/

Pioneer Emergency Preparedness Links
http://www.prepare-now.com/links.html

Disaster planning literature
http://preserve.harvard.edu/emergencies/recovery.html

Emergency Preparedness and Response (Library of Congress links)
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/pubsemer.html

What is an Emergency? What is a Disaster?
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/pub/seibert/whatsa.html

solinet Disaster Mitigation & Recovery Resources
http://www.solinet.net/preservation/preservation_templ.cfm?doc_id=71

solinet Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Internet Resources
http://www.solinet.net/preservation/preservation_templ.cfm?doc_id=139

Disaster Preparedness and Recovery: Selected Bibliography
http://www.solinet.net/preservation/leaflets/leaflets-fs.cfm? leafletpgname=leaflets_templ.cfm?doc_id=118

Disaster Recovery Services & Supplies
http://www.solinet.net/preservation/leaflets/leaflets-fs.cfm? leafletpgname=leaflets_templ.cfm?doc_id=119

Contents of a Disaster Plan
http://www.solinet.net/preservation/leaflets/leaflets-fs.cfm? leafletpgname=leaflets_templ.cfm?doc_id=116

Disaster Planning Process
http://www.solinet.net/preservation/leaflets/leaflets-fs.cfm? leafletpgname=leaflets_templ.cfm?doc_id=117

Disaster Prevention & Protection Checklist (PDF)
http://www.solinet.net/emplibfile/disasterprevention.pdf

Emergency Services Checklist
http://www.solinet.net/preservation/leaflets/leaflets-fs.cfm? leafletpgname=leaflets_templ.cfm?doc_id=121

In-House Supply Stockpile Checklist (PDF)
http://www.solinet.net/emplibfile/emerstratg.pdf