Disaster Response ALCTS June 9, 2010

1. Disaster ResponseALCTSJune 9, 2010 By Nancy E Kraft Photo by Tim Schoon

2. Quick Review of a Disaster Plan(or Emergency or Critical Incident Plan) • Staff & Key Personnel Contact Information • Disaster Response Team Identified & Responsibilities Outlined • Salvage Priorities Established (Institutional Records & Collections) • Information Technologies Information • Insurance Information • Evacuation/Emergency Procedures Outlined • Emergency Services Contact Information • Floor Plans Detailing Shut Offs & Collection Priorities

3. What If You Have No Plan? Field Guide to Emergency Response http://www.heritagepreservation.org/catalog/product.asp?IntProdID=33 Walsh, Betty. Salvage of Water-Damaged Archival Collections. Salvage at a Glance Chart http://cool.conservation-us.org/waac/wn/wn19/wn19-2/wn19-207.html Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel http://www.heritagepreservation.org/catalog/wheel1.htm

4. Disaster Response StepsStep 1-Safety First! • Sound the alarm/alert proper authorities. • Insure staff and visitors are safe. • Determine what needs to be shut off & who can safely shut things off. • Determine Extent of Disaster – moderate, major, catastrophic. • Eliminate hazards or at least identify them.

5. Step 2- Assemble Response TeamOutline Roles and Review Disaster Response Steps • Response Team Leader • Emergency Responder Liaison • Health & Safety Coordinator • Administrative & Financial Coordinator • Supplies & Equipment Coordinator • Communications/Media Coordinator • Assessment Coordinator • Documentation Coordinator • Salvage Coordinator

6. Step 3-Getting Started Off-site • Contact service vendors. • Begin collection/purchasing supplies. • Establish security procedures. • Establish a “command center.” • Create a secure salvage area. • Get safety clearance to enter building.

7. Step 4-Before You Begin Salvage,Assess Situation • Inspect damage to building, grounds, collections. Work in pairs & wear appropriate protective equipment. • Document damage during walk through, take photos. • Meet as a team and compare notes as to what you found during assessment.

8. Plan First, Then Salvage • If everyone is not on the same page, you will have a worse disaster. • Planning is key to a successful recovery. • Review floor plans, roles, times to meet as a team, security, how to deal with the media, etc.

9. Imagine arriving at work, the windows in the doors are steamed over and you hear what sounds like a water fall inside your building. Imagine going to work and needing an umbrella and boots, once inside your building, in order to get to your desk.

10. Your building has become a tropical rain forest, you are in charge because you are the disaster recovery director, and you have 48 hours to stabilize everything in order to keep mold from growing.

11. The receptionist (first on the scene) called the fire department

14. Water from the top (2nd) floor was causing damage to the ceiling on the 1stfloor and running down the walls, onto file cabinets, along electrical wires and onto periodical shelving.

15. Down to the mezzanine, 1st level below ground, onto desks and more collections. Down to the basement, 2nd level below ground, onto more collections.

16. Every floor had someone “in charge” already assigned during the planning process. They played an extremely valuable role. First floor coordinator opened desk and cabinet drawers so they wouldn’t swell shut.

17. We called a local cleaning service to assist us. Working from top down, they tore out wet carpeting and removed draperies.

18. We ordered extra dumpsters. Styrofoam pads were put under furniture.

19. Although we packed most items for freezing, we had several fragile pamphlets and books on reading tables that we choose to air-dry. No matter the type of disaster, you will need to punt and think outside the box. We needed to dry thousands of cards without loosing the filing order.

20. We ordered a refrigerator truck (reefer) and began packing out wet books, while waiting for the disaster response company to arrive. When BMS Catastrophe officials arrived hours later from Texas, they set up huge heaters. We worked on a macro level – stabilizing the environment was critical. We opened windows, had the air conditioner turned way down and reheat turned off until the heaters came.

21. For three days the staff, BMS and cleaning crew worked well into each evening, working in shifts. BMS took over the supervision of the cleaning crew, providing training in lifting and handling historical items and in providing security.

22. Security was something that we hadn’t even thought about. BMS secured the building and monitored all exits, checking everyone in and out. Everyone wants to help but some aren’t physical capable of doing all the lifting … assign him/her this task.

23. Our receptionist handled all the calls in and out. Note: most of our phones were disconnected but were still taking voice mail messages! The toughest thing to deal with is the public and media – every one wants to get in on the action. Our PR person worked tirelessly … we posted this message.

24. We checked in with the BMS project directors and staff on a regular basis.

25. Many books were damp but not wet. We let the books dry on the shelves, rotating/exposing a different edge each day. Note the flag indicating a “wet” area. We checked and rechecked our most valued and irreplaceable books and materials.

26. The most serious damage was in the oversized or folio Iowa history book collection. Every square inch of the building had to be inspected and re-inspected. Areas of water damage were flagged.

27. We enforced breaks, providing food and drink. Everyone was required to report in, including BMS, discussed problems, made decisions. Food was donated by local businesses.

28. A specialist checked the moisture reading within the microfilm cabinets. The readings indicated that the drawers were providing a good moisture barrier. After literally baking our waterlogged electrical equipment in a 115-degree room, we only lost two computer keyboards, one fax machine and three telephones.

29. We forgot to check items on our walls – these certificates were noticed only after mold had started growing on the back sides. Our noses found this problem!

30. Recovery May Be Longer Than Expected

31. Walls needed to be patched and painted, ceiling tile and carpet replaced. All books had to be boxed and stored. Our asbestos floor tile buckled which meant we had to have asbestos abatement.

32. Some furniture needed repair or restoration.

33. Thankfully, the Hoover Presidential Library had a spot for us. Of the 140,000 volumes approx 2,000 needed immediate attention and were sent off to be freeze-dried. They were returned before we could bring them back into the building.

34. We were “lucky”. We had an up-to-date- disaster response plan in place, on file with the fire department and staff trained to carry it out. • Our prompt and whole-hearted response saved us at least a day of recovery and at least $10,000 in recovery services.

35. PROTECT YOURSELF • Wear a N95 disposable respirator • Use disposable gloves if handling the material • Goggles or protective eyewear should be worn • Don’t touch your eyes or mouth if you’ve touched a moldy item • Wash your hands as soon as possible once vacated infected area • Take a shower and wash your clothes in hot water and bleach • Illnesses due to exposure to mold can result from both high level, short-term exposures and lower level, long-term exposures.

36. SHSI 1996 Every disaster situation is different, lessons learned (or reinforced) in this one: 1. Get to know your emergency responders ahead of time. In an emergency they control your building. Send staff home or give them a “special job” if they are obstructive or have a health problem. Insure communication and fed, rested staff with mandatory meetings. Secure your building. Keep a log.

37. You can not experience a good recovery process If you have not • Prepared ahead of time • Involved key people • Trained staff • Developed good communication and cooperation

38. Disaster PlansOn the Web • http://cool.conservation-us.org/bytopic/disasters/plans/ • Minnesota Historical Society Disaster Preparedness Plan http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/emergency.html item type specific instructions for drying materials • Syracuse University Libraries http://library.syr.edu/about/departments/preservation/recovery/ has illustrations on how to pack and dry books • Disaster plan for print materials • Disaster plan for Non-print and Photographic materials • Disaster plan for Audio materials • Library Emergency Supplies • Western New York Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Manual for Libraries and Archives (Western New York Library Resources Council has worksheets http://www.wnylrc.org/documentView.asp?docid=35&sid= • dPlan http://www.dplan.org/ Use this online tool to create your own disaster plan

39. Selected Sources Preservation Beat http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/preservation/ Flood Recovery Booklet http://hosted.lib.uiowa.edu/flood/ University of Iowa Preservation Dept. Resource Page http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/preservation/Resources.html Patkus, Beth & Robert E Schnare. Disaster Preparedness Workbook for Cultural Institutions Within the Military. 2009 http://www.loc.gov/flicc/about/FLICC_WGs/disaster/DisasterPreparednessWorkbook.pdf Field Guide to Emergency Response http://www.heritagepreservation.org/catalog/product.asp?IntProdID=33 ebrary’s Natural Disaster and Extreme Weather http://disaster.ebrary.com

40. I encourage all of you to do one thing this month to becoming prepared. Gather supplies or prepare a phone list. Have a great rest of the day! Nancy E Kraft nancy-e-kraft@uiowa.edu Photo by Tim Schoon