Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Tom Clareson, LYRASIS April 2011 Copyright © 2011 LYRASIS.

Disaster Preparednessand Recovery

Tom Clareson, LYRASIS

April 2011

Copyright © 2011 LYRASIS

Applied Terminology

• Emergency• Disaster• Community-Wide Disaster• Risks/Hazards/Vulnerabilities• Mitigation

The Stages of Disasters

• Planning• Mitigation• Immediate Response• Recovery• Long-Term Recovery

Institutions with No Emergency Plan with Staff Trained to Carry It Out (From the Heritage Health

Index)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Archives 70%

Libraries 78%

Historical Societies 92%

Museums 78%

Archaeological Repositories/Scientific Research Collections 86

%

Disaster Planning

• Information Gathering

• Implementation

• Ongoing Maintenance

Information Gathering

• Risk assessment

• Recovery Priorities

• Response, Recovery, and Rehabilitation procedures

• Resource lists

Checklist for Disaster Preparedness

• Establish Authority• Form Team• Review Literature and

Plans• Identify Institutional

Background and Resources• Contact External Groups• Review Insurance• Salvage Priorities• Evacuation Plan• Purchase Supplies• Write Plan• Train Staff

Disaster team players

• Team leader• Crew manager• Financial administrator• Recovery specialist• Building manager• Security director• Recorder/photographer• Communications officer• Supplies & transportation manager

Risk Assessment

• Emergency History

• Location Risks• Facilities Risks

Emergency History

• When did the disaster occur?• What was exact location?• How many items were damaged?• Costs of recovery and repair?• Contacts for further details?

Building Survey

• Construction/Renovation• Condition• Drainage• Collection Storage• Climate Control• Pollutants• Light• Pest Control/Housekeeping

Water-damage Risk Assessment and Prevention

• Regularly inspect roof and drainage

• Pipes and plumbing in good condition?

• Avoid basement storage

• No water sources above collections

• Shelve at least 4 inches off the floor

• Use water detectors where needed

Fire Risk Assessment and Prevention

• Building design• Security• Fire detection

and signaling• Fire suppression• Staff fire safety

training

Building Design

• Minimize air passages between floors• Concrete flooring prevents fire from

spreading• Beware of concealed spaces• Keep exits unobstructed• Inspect electrical wiring• Inspect storage areas• Utilize Fire Marshall visits

Effects of a Mold Outbreak

• Poses health risk to staff and patrons• Causes staining and loss of materials

– Permanent stains to book cloth– Weakening of materials– Irreversible damage to photographs

• Attracts and encourages pests– Mold is food for pests– Both mold and pests enjoy the same

environment!

Mold Assessment and Prevention

• Keep Collections Storage and Staff Areas clean

• Indoor plants and watering• RH above 55%?• Inspect for mold regularly• Find the source of moisture and remove it• Regularly clean HVAC system• Isolate incoming and infested collections• RESPOND QUICKLY TO WATER DAMAGE!

Mold: Initial Response

• Isolate affected materials• Identify Species

– Is the mold active or inactive

• Locate source of humidity• Lower the humidity and temperature• Increase air circulation• Use Personal Protective Equipment or

call an expert when in doubt

Mold Removal

• Deactivate/Inactivate mold• Clean the affected items

– Vacuum residue using a HEPA vacuum– Take health precautions

• Clean and disinfect storage areas• Follow up by monitoring affected

materials and the environment

Pest Risks and Control

• Seal routes of entry• Control water sources• Control food sources• Clean collections storage rooms and

look for signs of insects• Isolate and examine incoming

collections• Do routine monitoring

Sample components of a disaster plan

1. Recovery team contact info

2. Communication plan or telephone tree

3. Maintenance reports and schedules

4. Evacuation Plan5. Locations of Supplies6. Organization-wide

collection priorities7. Prevention and

protection strategies

8. Checklist for pre-disaster actions

9. Instructions for response, recovery, and salvage

10.Emergency Services11.Supplies List

Disaster Recovery

1. RESPONSEPrepare to deal with the affected collections

2. SALVAGEReturn collections to a stable condition

3. REHABILITATIONImprove the condition of the collections

Establish recovery priorities

• Identify most important collections• Factor in composition of records• Consider services available

Priorities for initial response

• Human safety• Critical operations• Collections records• Building stabilization• Finally, salvage of collections

Assess financial resources

• Know insurance coverage• Identify emergency funds• Know accounting procedures• How can they be simplified

in an emergency?

Evaluate insurance policy

• Take precautions to reduce premiums• Be aware of exclusions from coverage• Take photos or videos of valuable items and

store them offsite• Appraise the building and its contents at least

every five years• Know FEMA Rules

– Reimbursement only for what insurance won’t cover

– Stabilization, debris removal, and protective measures

– Must be part of a declared disaster area

Salvage priorities

• Vital institutional information• Items on loan• Collections that directly support the

mission of your institution• Unique and/or most valuable items• Materials most used and/or most

vital for research

Salvage priorities, cont.

• Most representative of subject areas• Availability of other copies or other

formats• Items prone to damage if untreated• Least replaceable• Length of exposure to adverse

conditions• Materials most likely to be salvaged

Disaster Mitigation

1. Assess the situation2. Prepare the team to enter3. Assess the damage to collections4. Stabilize the environment

Assess the Situation

1. Minor emergency2. Moderate emergency3. Disaster4. Community-Wide Disaster

Prepare the Team to Enter

• Convene the response team members

• Set up a command post• Establish security measures• Get clearance to enter the building• Eliminate hazards

Health precautions

• Treat a situation as hazardous until proven otherwise

• Is your tetanus shot current?• Don’t enter a flooded building if you have

health problems• Seek medical attention if you develop

unusual symptoms• Wash your hands and face• Treat injuries immediately• Don’t use the building’s water

Hazards to avoid

• Electrical shock• Liquid petroleum, propane, fuel oil

lines• Tripping and lacerations• Lifting/moving heavy wet objects• Wild or disoriented pet animals• Chemical or biological exposure• Mold

Assess the damage

• How much material was affected?• What kinds of paper are involved?• What other types of media are

affected?• What kind of damage is involved?• What is the value of the material?• What are the environmental

conditions indoors and/or outdoors?

Assess the available resources

• How many people can you count on?• How much space is available to work

in?• How much money is available for

recovery, and it is accessible at this point?

• How much time is available?• How much authority do you have to

marshal these resources?

Stabilize the environment

• Reduce temperature to below 70°F• Reduce relative humidity to 55% or

lower• Reduce temperature as much as

possible through air conditioning, or• Use fans and dehumidifiers• Monitor temperature and relative

humidity• Never warm the building!

Salvage Options

• Discard • Air dry• Dehumidification• Freeze/Freeze drying• Vacuum freeze drying• Vacuum thermal drying

Salvage procedures for damaged materials

• Triage and sorting– Prioritize according to type of damage, fragility of

material, degree or wetness– Set up sorting area in close proximity to disaster

site– Keep detailed written records of material disposal

• Choosing the appropriate drying option depends on availability of:– Personnel– Expertise– Funding– Facilities (as much space as possible!)

Cooperative Disaster Planning

• Saving Money• Resource Utilization• Service Resumption Issues• Group Education and Information• Insurance Issues• Recovery Planning• Technical Issues

Saving Money ThroughCooperative Planning

• Group Training and Consulting• Central Supply Caches• Consortial Contracts with Recovery

Vendors• Consortial Insurance Contracts

Better Resource Utilization

• Greater Number of Trained Responders

• Familiarity with Institutions in Consortia

• Utilizing Strengths of Each Staff• Larger Community Volunteer Base

Service Resumption Issues

• Reciprocal Borrowing• Computer Hot Sites• Interlibrary Loan Fulfillment• Donation Processing Centers

Group Education and Information

• Shared Disaster Plans• Shared Building/Floor Plans• Familiarizing Staff and Physical Plant• Baseline Preparedness, Response,

and Recovery Training• Annual Disaster Plan Update/Practice• Recovery Vendor Presentations

Insurance Issues

• Consortial Policies and Buying Power

• Collection Valuation

• Identification of High-Probability Risks

Recovery Planning

• Local Efforts• The First 48 Hours• Business Resumption• Long-Term Recovery

Technical Issues

• Review of Safety Systems• Archiving of Digital Data and

Electronic Resources/Records• Computer Hot Sites

SILDRN – San Diego/Imperial County Disaster Response

Network

• Formed 1995; Early Grant Funding• Web Literature on Preparedness &

Recovery• Cooperative Supply Containers• Supply Sources and Vendor Directory• Regular Education Programs• orpheus.ucsd.edu.sildrn

Cooperative Disaster Planning – Needs

• Point Person at Each Institution• Sharing of Disaster Plans• Consulting and Training Activities• Central Supply Cache – Identify Host• Consortial Vendor & Insurance

Contracts

Cooperative Disaster Planning –

Proposed Action Steps• Review of Plans and Risks• Disaster Assessment Surveys –

Buildings, Collections, Staff & Patrons• Consortial/Joint Plan• Preparedness, Response, and

Recovery Training Models• Establish Response Team

Cooperative Disaster Planning –

Proposed Action Steps, continued• Recovery Vendor Presentations

• Insurance Issue Discussions• Develop Technical Response• Mutual Aid Agreement• Quarterly, then Annual Meetings

Resources

• Heritage Preservation for the Heritage Emergency National Task Force. www.heritagepreservation.org/programs/wheel.htm

• Federal Emergency Management Agency: www.fema.gov

• NEDCC: 978.470.1010 or www.nedcc.org• CCAHA: 215.545.0613 or www.ccaha.org• LYRASIS: 800.999.8558 or www.lyrasis.org• Amigos: 800.843.8482 or www.amigos.org• Tom Clareson: 614.439.1796 or

[email protected]

Heritage Emergency National Task Force

• Founded in 1995 with HP & FEMA• 40 members, including ALA, IMLS, NEH, LoC• Task Force activities:

– Provide sound information for institutions– Offer preservation advice for the public – Promote preparedness and mitigation– Foster cooperation with emergency

professionals– Coordinate assistance after disasters

Emergency Response & Salvage Wheel

• The gold standard!• Available in five

languages• Latest edition:

– Water-resistant coating

– Magnets for easy access

– All new section on Electronic Records

Field Guide to Emergency Response

• Perfect for the over-stressed and under-trained!

• Compact spiral-bound notebook– Essential response functions– Basic salvage steps

• Special features– Tabbed dividers to customize contacts– Checklists and resources – DVD to demonstrate procedures

Resources for Federal Funding

• Produced by Heritage Preservation, FEMA, and NEA

• Features 15 grant and loan programs

• Covers preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery

• Includes sample projects and helpful information resources

Alliance for Response Goals

• Raise awareness of the need to protect cultural and historic resources

• Initiate an ongoing dialogue with emergency responders

• Build and sustain local networks• Encourage disaster planning and

mitigation at institutions

Questions?

Instructor

Tom ClaresonSenior Consultant for New Initiatives

800.233.3401 or [email protected]