This document summarizes a presentation about emergency preparedness and disaster recovery for historical collections. It discusses having a written plan to minimize risks from various disasters like fires, floods, and storms. The plan should include prevention tasks and site-specific information. Examples are given of two Texas houses, one that had a written plan and mainly did prevention tasks, facing fewer impacts and an easier cleanup after a hurricane. It stresses documenting damage and making repairs quickly after a disaster to prevent further damage from things like mold. Developing a thorough prevention plan is emphasized as the best way to reduce recovery needs when disasters do occur.

1. Emergency Preparedness
Disaster Recovery
A pecha kecha program about risk
and damage limitation before, during
and after a major event
OMA Annual Conference 2014
Dr Ware Petznick, Executive Director
The Shaker Historical Society
wpetznick@shakerhistory.org

2. The best-laid schemes o‘ mice an 'men
Gang aft agley
– Robert Burns, To a Mouse (1795)
Natural disasters
Deferred maintenance
Accident or negligence

3. Always have a plan B
 Physical Forces
 Thieves &Vandals
 Dissociation
 Fire
 Water
 Pests
 Pollutants
 Light
 Temperature
 Relative Humidity
Minimize risks,
write it down &
communicate it!

4. McFaddin House, TEXAS
McFaddin-Ward House, TEXAS
+ MWH had a written plan
+ Mainly prevention tasks
+ Site specific info
Few Responses & clean up

5. McFaddin House, TEXAS
McFaddin-Ward House, TEXAS
You’re not from around here are you?
1. Main house
2. Carriage house
3. Visitor center
4. Collections Storage
5. Admin building
ALL with collections but the last.

6. Read the plan but third
floor restoration was a
priority

7. Rug Storage - mylar, steel frame

8. Leather restoration 2005

9. Beaumont
Largest recorded
hurricane in the
Gulf of Mexico
New Orleans

10. Emergency
Plan 2005
Facilities cover
windows
Move porch furniture
into front hall
…
The rest at the
discretion of
the curator…

11. Covered rare
books in
storage with
plastic on
upper floor
of storage
Updated
disaster plan

12. Moved away
from windows
Rolled away
from fireplace
Moved to
center on side

13. Hurricane Rita hits Beaumont
Sept 23-24, 2005

14. Plastic
Rope
Tape
Mop & Bucket
Flashlights
Batteries
A radio
Paper towels
Distilled water
Copy of plan
Recovery wheel
Prepare against risk & to clean up

15. Recovery
Mold remediation
Roof repairs
Windows
Large Oak
before Rita

16. Ursuline College Tornado 2013

17. • Document damage
• Patched broken window on 3rd floor
• Over a month of high temp without HVAC
• Mold on grass cloth wallpaper – remediated in
house
When disaster does strike

18. An ounce of
prevention is worth
a pound of cure
Best way to prevent the need
for recovery is to protect objects
from damage in the first place.
Stuart Williamson, Sculptor

19. You CAN reach your goals despite disaster!

20. Need Help with your PLAN?
OMA WORKSHOP
Monday, June 23rd
@ ICA Cleveland
You CAN reach your goals despite disaster!