Many of you are familiar with our “Disaster Plan Templates” page (see the menu bar of pages above), and our toolkit statistics indicate that lots of people are finding and using it.  Here are a couple of recent updates to the page:

We created the “10 Steps to Service Continuity” planning template in December, in order to help fill a gap in our representative offerings.  We needed a template for a plan that would more closely match NN/LM’s focus on service continuity.  It also needed to be attainable in terms of the depth of knowledge and information required, the time required to complete it, and the format for producing it.

We have redirected the link to dPlan, so that it now arrives at the introductory page for dPlan on the NEDCC site.  The introduction includes information about access and security of the plan and a great overview, so if you’re thinking of creating a comprehensive plan, check this out.

In January of 1994, the Northridge area of California was shaken by a level 6.7 earthquake, which devastated the area, including California State University at Northridge. See Susan Curzon’s story of the destruction of her library at CSU, and how they responded by getting services back up and running in temporary shelters and with limited staffing. (This story and more are available from the “Library Disaster Stories” page here on the toolkit.)

Earthquake damage to the rear side of the Oviatt Library. Image from Susan Curzon's story.

Today, in the “Emergency Preparedness News” section in the left column of the toolkit, you can see a story about the earthquake drill that is scheduled for Stanford University in early February. It is interesting to see how well their preparedness planners have used the lessons learned from previous incidents in their area and have planned the drill to deal with issues they know they will face when the next quake occurs.

The toolkit has two additional resources for preparedness and risk assessment related specifically to earthquakes. (1) See the “Earthquakes” RSS feed available in the list of RSS feeds on the left, and (2) under “Risk Assessment Maps and Charts” on the right, see the Earthquake map produced by the USGS showing earthquake probability for all of the U.S. The USGS says that over 75 million people live in earthquake-prone zones in the U.S., which affect 39 states.

Check out the latest new feature of the Toolkit! Scroll down past the Resources section of the right side menu bar to find a list of links to the maps that Dan has used in his training classes on service continuity. The maps are helpful for risk assessment for all regions–they add a larger picture to the very localized knowledge that most of us have about what has happened or is likely to happen in our areas. The maps in the “Risk Assessment Maps & Charts” section cover incidents of severe weather, earthquakes, wildfires, chemical and nuclear power plans, flood plains, tornadoes, among others.

Dan has created a tutorial page for the Toolkit (see above)!  The first tutorial is one he recorded today, which provides a tour of this site, pointing out the features much as he does when teaching a class about the NN/LM Emergency Preparedness initiative.  Just click on the “Tutorials” page above, then click the link to the tutorial.  Dan will update the tutorial as events unfold or as seasons change and warrant new current awareness situations or as new resources become available.  Let us know what you think!

As we know, there are many web sites that provide valuable information about emergency preparedness and response, a case in point being the CDC site which we mentioned earlier. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the “mother ship” of other government sites we have mentioned and linked to the toolkit (CDC, Ready.gov, etc.), is another one. The HHS site gathers together the many federal resources that are available to us, weaving them together by topic, and highlighting some we may have missed in looking at other sites, such as the “Emergency Managers National Situation Update” , which is on the FEMA site. The site covers a tremendous amount of territory, but is organized to make information readily available. There’s a lot there that can help us with risk assessment and other preparedness activities for our libraries and localities.

Please see below, at the end of the post entitled “Library Disaster Story:  Hurricane Dolly,” for pictures taken before and after the storm.  Thanks so much to Kathy Carter at Ramirez Library for sharing these photos with us.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have an excellent web site with a wealth of health and safety-related information on a broad range of topics and for many audience types. They have redesigned and reorganized, including more images, and the navigation features lend themselves well to helping users find information quickly. We can benefit particularly from their Emergency Preparedness and Response pages, and today are focusing on their Natural Disasters and Severe Weather subsite. For each event, they have gathered excellent information, some of which they have written, and some that links to other, related sites. Check out the “Earthquake” page, which warns that between 2008 and 2035, seismologists predict a 97 percent chance of a major quake in the New Madrid seismic zone (central US: Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri).

As we know, there is the “all hazards” paradigm for disaster training, and this is to remind us that we NN/LM emergency planners take an “all seasons” approach to preparedness!  Winter weather has brought some of the most memorable disasters to libraries (see the Jan. 29, 2008 post on water damage at Renne Library, Montana State University) because of frozen and bursting pipes.  It poses danger to library staff who face slick roads and sidewalks, and power outages for libraries, staff and patrons (see article on last week’s ice storm in NY, NH, MA and ME).  In addition, the CDC’s “Winter Weather” tip this week details how the cold can endanger one’s heart. 

Some activities to consider this week in preparation for the holiday season and winter weather:

1. make sure your communication information is up to date–cell and home phone numbers for key staff and administrators
2. think about how you can provide information services from home if you can’t get to work; proxy account?  software installed?  alternate voice mail ready for your phone?
3. need any plastic sheeting for protecting your print resources or equipment in case of a water leak?

Also, if your business slows a bit during the holiday, take some time to read some of the “Stories Told” on the Library Disaster Stories page here on the toolkit (click on the “view larger map” link to see the list of stories).  I found myself awed by the strength and resourcefulness of our colleagues in some very trying circumstances, and found that their observations on their experiences can help all of us prepare for events we hope will never occur.

Here is our latest story from a librarian about a disaster that affected the Mario E. Ramirez, M.D. Health Sciences Library at the University of Texas/Harlingen, TX in July 2008.

Interview for “Stories Told”

Name and position title of person telling the story:
Greysi Reyna, Assistant Director, Mario E. Ramirez, M.D. Library
Kathleen Carter, Medical Librarian, Mario E. Ramirez, M.D. Library

Date of the interview:
10/16/2008

(1.) What happened in your community (i.e., what was the disaster/emergency)?

On Monday, July 21, students, faculty and staff at the UT Health Science Center’s Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) in Harlingen received the official word that a tropical storm, named Dolly, was approaching the Texas coast and was tracking toward South Padre Island, less than an hour’s drive from campus. Most importantly, the storm was projected to intensify to hurricane strength prior to landfall, and the RAHC community had only 48 hours to prepare for the storm.

After reaching Category 2 status, Hurricane Dolly made landfall on the South Texas Coast on Wednesday, July 23, becoming the first hurricane to make a direct hit on Deep South Texas since Hurricane Bret in 1999. With some areas receiving over 9 inches of rain and with winds gusts over 75 mph, widespread damage and flooding was felt throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Tens of thousands of households lost power across Cameron, Willacy and Hidalgo counties.

Despite the efforts to prepare the RAHC for Hurricane Dolly, the building sustained water damage that prevented most RAHC personnel from returning to the building until nearly one week following the storm. In addition, the library was forced to operate from the RAHC’s auditorium for one month while the library underwent repairs.

(2.)   How did the library respond? How did the librarian respond? Were there non-traditional (unusual) roles that the librarian performed?

The campus emergency response team, which includes 2 library staff members, called on the campus to begin preparations. Because the Rio Grande Valley is frequently in the path of hurricanes, the RAHC has a well documented Disaster Emergency Timeline for Severe Weather Emergencies. The RAHC Safety Planning Task Force initiated the Emergency Response Plan, and staff of the Mario E. Ramirez, M.D. Library began protecting Ramirez Library resources from the threat of possible wind and water damage, as dictated by the RAHC Disaster Preparation Timeline. While the timeline calls for preparations to begin 96 hours prior to landfall, the timeline was escalated to account for the rapid movement and projected strengthening of Dolly.

While maintaining normal library operations, library staff began removing key print resources from the collection. This included valuable and heavily circulated materials from the general collection along with the entire reserves collection. As part of its hurricane preparedness plan, the library staff routinely place colored dot stickers on the spine of key print resources to help library staff quickly identify, remove and prepare portions of the print collection for storage in the event of a hurricane. To prepare for Hurricane Dolly, this select group of print resources was placed in a secure location on the 2^nd floor of the building along with laptop computers, and other critical equipment. In the event that the facility sustained significant damage, these resources would be used to establish a small functioning library in an alternate location.

The remaining collection was covered and secured with plastic sheeting and tarps. Materials located on bottom shelves were moved to the shelves above and covered. All desktop computers and electronics were unplugged, moved away from windows and doorways, and covered with plastic sheeting for protection.

By Tuesday, July 22, the tropical storm had strengthened. Now a hurricane, Dolly, was expected to strike South Padre Island on Wednesday, July 23 with 100 mph winds. RAHC medical students were dismissed at noon that day, and the RAHC staff was encouraged to rush preparations to completion. The Ramirez Library ceased operations at 3:00pm on Tuesday. Windows were boarded and sandbags were placed at building entrances by the campus facilities crew that worked well into the evening that day.

A building restoration team was dispatched to the RAHC during the storm, when it became apparent that water was entering the building. Unfortunately, much of that water entered the Ramirez Library causing considerable water damage. The good news was that the collection, furniture and equipment in the library had been spared. However, portions of walls and sections of carpeting had to be immediately removed, as the RAHC facilities crew and the restoration team began the process of “drying out” the building to prevent the growth of mold.

With the small collection of books and laptops stored prior to the hurricane, the library staff, with the help of RAHC administrators and personnel, opened a small temporary library in the RAHC Auditorium. The Library staff did their best to ensure that library services would continue, despite the circumstances. Medical students were able to check out and return library materials, access the Internet, and the library’s electronic resources.

Nearly a month following Hurricane Dolly’s visit, staff, students and community users were allowed to return to the Ramirez Library, and library operations returned to normal on Friday, August 15. Repairs to the Ramirez Library were on-going for portions of the facility for nearly 3 more months, and the Ramirez Library finally opened the entire space to its users on October 15.

(3.)  How has the library (or the services provided) changed as a result of these events?

While the library was able to reopen with minimal downtime, many lessons were learned to help staff prepare for future weather disasters. Since Hurricane Dolly, the following adjustments have been made:

·   Librarians have implemented a process for regularly evaluating the print resources that would be removed and stored in the event of a disaster. Labels displaying a hurricane symbol are now placed on the spine of key resources, so they can be easily identified by all staff and stored properly.

·  All full time staff have been provided a laptop and docking station so that important documents can be easily backed up on a portable computer. Staff take their laptops with them when they leave the library prior to the hurricane making landfall.

·  Should the Library have to operate from an alternate location following a disaster, as with Hurricane Dolly, the Library’s ILS software has been installed on several laptops to ensure that materials can be checked out and returned without interruption.

• Following Hurricane Dolly, library staff were prepared to serve their users, but staff quickly realized they were not prepared to continue with their regular duties. While the library had carts full of medical books and laptops, basic supplies like paper, folders, and staplers had been left behind. The disaster preparedness plan now stipulates that office equipment and supplies will be removed and stored as well.

·   Because cell phone service was unavailable during and after the hurricane, maintaining contact with multiple colleagues was difficult. Now, all staff have been asked to place a single call to the Briscoe Library at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio main campus. Staff at the Briscoe Library will be responsible for relaying information to staff about the status of their co-workers and the Library overall.

(4.)   What, in your opinion, are the roles for libraries (and librarians) in disaster planning, response and recovery efforts?

Libraries can share their disaster plans with other agencies, or provide templates for disaster plans. The Ramirez Library has shared its disaster plan with several local libraries and organizations to assist them with developing their own plans.

Before and after a disaster, community members may need help connecting with local resources. The Library can serve as place for distributing information to the community about lodging, drinking water and meals, telephone service, and more!

(5.)  What are your experiences working with emergency agencies, organizations and groups?

Overall, the Ramirez Library has a close relationship with the campus security team.

Designated Library personnel are members of the Security Task Force for the Regional Academic Health Center. This means that library staff members are present for all security briefings and have a voice in the decision-making process.

The Ramirez Library staff learned to work with the campus environmental health and safety team. Library staff were required to cooperate with their directives in terms of when it was safe to return to the library due to the possibility of mold formation. Library staff also learned that the campus emergency response team was quick to institute mitigation services to lessen the amount of damage to the library from moisture and mold.

We heard from Claire Hamasu, Associate Director of the MidContinental Region (MCR) of NN/LM at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City about their emergency preparedness and response activities to date.  Claire notes that she and Javier Crespo, the Associate Director of the New England Region (NER) at the University of Massachusetts and the “buddy” RML for MCR, have reviewed MCR’s continuity of service plan.  Instructions were refined to clearly explain how the NER could use the MCR’s communication tools to inform those in the MCR how to contact the NER for assistance.

At the October Regional Advisory Board meeting, one of the discussion topics was Emergency Planning.  The question was, “Assuming that emergency planning is important, how do we, the RML, promote activities that result in emergency plans?  Three themes emerged from this discussion:

1. Libraries need to be part of the institution’s emergency plan.  They must be at the table where it’s being formed.  Librarians need to insinuate the library into the discussion.
2. Libraries should partner with other organizations outside their institution–public library, public health, and other hospitals.
3. Libraries need to protect their core resources.

The NN/LM MCR has made funding available for emergency planning.  Network members can apply for up to $15,000 to fund projects designed to develop partnerships that enhance access to health information in preparation for and during emergencies.  MCR has established two liaisons with other libraries, the Dykes Library in Kansas and the McGoogan Library of Medicine in Nebraska, to create emergency preparedness plans for the libraries.