Preserving the Collection: Disaster Planning, Response & Recovery

  These videos by the Florida Association of Museums discuss some of the first steps of a salvage situation - how to establish priorities, and what steps to take to salvage items in a flooding situation. Salvage Priorities & Techniques: https://youtu.be/NM1EfhgpUoI?si=uBfqzNq32Xei-tzR&t=1 Salvage Recovery Objects/Sculpture: https://youtu.be/0_2ciwAcp4o?si=H4ttWerBqLcf0U8B&t=1

Curious about caring for natural history collections? Conserv Community has scheduled an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with NPS conservator Fran Rtichie on that very topic for February 28. She will answer questions posted as comments at this link: https://community.conserv.io/c/ama-s/ama-on-preservation-of-natural-history-collections , and questions can be asked at any time before February 28. After that, this AMA will join Conserv Community's growing archive of AMA's, on topics including IPM, health and safety, and emergency preparedness: https://community.conserv.io/c/ama-s/

Having a plan for dealing with disasters is a must for any organization, but even with a plan, there can be confusion in the moment. Running tabletop exercises - getting the people in your organization together to talk through a realistic scenario - can help mitigate confusion and miscommunication when it's time to act on your plan. The Florida Association of Museums put together two webinars on tabletop exercises: one for small organizations , and one for medium to large organizations .

The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) has compiled an excellent list of resources for artists - including disaster resources - many of which apply to individuals and organizations working through an emergency. Check out the Artist's Guide to Emergencies for more information