Preserving the Collection: Disaster Planning, Response & Recovery

This 2019 NCPTT webinar by Joshua Marano gives great insight to hurricane response at Biscayne National Park sites, and the lessons learned from that experience. Disaster Archaeology: National Park Service Response to Hurricanes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XBOzS32uf4

  Archaeological sites, which may include anything from paleolithic rock art sites to excavations at a historic house, are also subject to natural and man-made disasters. These two episodes of the Archeotech podcast discusses the dangers these sites may face, monitoring after severe weather, and other mitigation strategies. Episode 93 Disaster Preparedness for Archaeology Sites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpzsPXe0FkA Episode 125 Site Assessments After a Significant Weather Event with Dr. Tanya Peres: https://youtu.be/fGam_7Yd16k?si=O9dhGBloOdLc_4Kl The article the hosts are discussing in the first episode (Finding the Positive in the Negative Archaeology and Data Collection in the Face of Natural Disasters) can be found at Cambridge University Press: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/advances-in-archaeological-practice/article/finding-the-positive-in-the-negative/FEFE087310B68A96F4E40D69E6C31DC9

  October is Texas Archeology Month, and so we'd like to share this great article that talks about rescue archaeology (excavations that occur prior to construction, due to or to prevent looting, or as a result of natural disasters or warfare): https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/saving-artifacts-rescue-archaeology-prevents-history-from-being-erased

This two-page reference by FEMA provides advice on retrieving family treasures after a disaster, how to start cleaning them, and when and how to call in a professional: https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_after-flood-advice-salvaging-damaged-family-treasures_06142023.pdf

October is Texas Archeology Month. While natural disasters can cause damage to our existing collections, they can also reveal - or hide - sites and artifacts. If you think you have encountered a recently exposed site, the Texas Historical Commission has staff and volunteers that can provide guidance on next steps: https://thc.texas.gov/preserve/archeology-texas/archeology-faq   For more information on activities during Texas Archeology Month, visit: https://thc.texas.gov/preserve/archeology-texas/texas-archeology-month   For a map of Texas sites, museums, historic markers, and more, visit: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Map