Severe weather and flooding throughout
the nation's Midwest
has recently brought salvage and recovery of cultural collections
and family treasures onto our front pages once more. The Library's
Preservation Directorate has long provided information to support
preservation, including emergency preparedness and disaster response
for individuals
and families as well as libraries,
archives, and museums. See also Quick
Reference: Disaster Response and Recovery, Spring/Summer 2008; A
Primer on Disaster Preparedness, Management and Response: Paper-Based
Materials, and Response
to Floods and Water Damage for Libraries, Archives, Museums, and
other Repositories for reliable, practical information
for institutions and individuals faced with flood protection, salvage,
and recovery of collections.
- Place human safety first. Listen for flood watches and warnings. Evacuate early, helping
all people who need help to depart safely. Follow recommended
exit routes.
- Protect collections by moving them to
upper levels of the building. Brace and secure large
objects, covering them with plastic. Back up essential databases
(collection documentation
and business records) and take the back-ups to the upper level
of the building. Cover all collections with plastic sheeting
and tape down.
- If you can't evacuate, move emergency
supplies, high-value collections, emergency plan, and vital records
to the highest part of the building. Wait until the water has
receded, then evacuate with great care. Avoid all areas with
standing or running water. Move carefully when exiting as walks
and roads may be slippery or crumbling.
- Shut down the building when necessary.
Sandbag areas likely to leak. Tape or board windows or use storm
shutters. Super cool the building to the extent possible using
HVAC, then turn off all utilities, particularly gas and electricity,
at the source.
- Keep in touch with civil authorities, managers
(including building managers), and emergency plan personnel about
your location and situation via cell phone.
- Once authorities
state that the building is safe for re-entry, put on protective
equipment, then assess and document the collections and building
damage. Before entering, put on nitrile gloves, masks, long-sleeved
clothing, and hard-bottomed rubber boots or steel-toed boots).
Enter with care. Watch for broken or sharp materials; sagging
ceilings, floors, and walls; asbestos; electrical/gas hazards;
chemicals and contaminants; carbon monoxide from improperly vented
pumps or generators (be alert to dizziness, headaches, nausea);
animals; and mold. After assessing damage, call managers, insurance
agents, and salvage/freezer contractors. Mobilize your emergency
team.
- Dry out the building and collections by
opening doors and windows to establish cross-ventilation. Add fans, lights, dehumidifiers,
and other drying agents such as pumps and generators as soon
as it is safe to use power sources.
- Remove and dry collection items
from the mud or water in priority order and take them
to your salvage space, where you have supplies and tools. Begin
drying. If you can't dry materials
within 48 hours, obtain assistance from a contractor to freeze
or dry collections in a cool, dry space. If collections are not
frozen or dried in 48 hours, mold growth is likely.
- Dry items at greatest
risk within your most valuable collections first (i.e., coated
paper, parchment, photographs, vellum). For more guidance see
Library of Congress Emergency
Drying Procedures for Water Damaged Collections and for family treasures.
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