Resources for Disaster Prevention, Preparedness & Recovery

The best way to cope with a disaster is to be ready for one. Ideally, you are prepared to avoid a disaster in the first place (fire and water alarms, etc), but you also have to be ready for the disaster you cannot prevent (hurricanes, floods, blizzards). Here's some useful information to help plan for your disaster.

What do you need to do in the event of a disaster? Who do you call first? A good disaster plan will lay out what needs to be done when disaster strikes.

In the Face of Disaster is a self-planning manual for disaster prevention, response, and recovery in libraries, museums, and cultural institutions. The manual is in PDF (portable document format) and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and/or print. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system, click here for your free copy: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
http://clrc.org/progs/disastermanualrev.pdf

Here are numerous disaster plans, created by libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and municipalities.

Lower Hudson Conference - Emergency Planning & Recovery Techniques
The best time to read a book on emergencies, disasters, and other mayhem is during the relative peace and quiet of an ordinary day at work. You see the way your library, archive, or museum works and how it serves the public. You consider different parts of the collection. And you have a head start in dealing with a future emergency to minimize loss and disruption.
http://www.lowerhudsonconference.org/empart/

Disaster Plans: This site offers many different disaster plans as well as other information relating to disaster preparedness
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/plans/

Disaster Planning
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf33.htm

Disaster Assistance: dPlan: The online disaster-planning tool. A free template for writing disaster plans.
http://www.nedcc.org/welcome/disaster.htm

Worksheet for outlining a disaster plan
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf34.htm

Disaster Plan Workbook, created by the New York University's Bobst Library, provides an excellent template for the beginning stages of developing a disaster plan.
http://library.nyu.edu/preservation/disaster/toc.htm

National Fire Protection Association
NFPA Codes and Standards - Safety is Everybody's Business
NFPA develops, publishes, and disseminates timely consensus codes and standards intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. Virtually every building, process, service, design, and installation in society today is affected by NFPA documents. http://www.nfpa.org/

An Introduction to Fire Detection, Alarm, and Automatic Fire Sprinklers
Because of the speed and totality of the destructive forces of fire, it constitutes one of the more serious threats.
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf32.htm

Protection from Loss: Water and Fire Damage, Biological Agents, Theft, and Vandalism
Providing the best protection for collections from the most common causes of loss is a basic principle of preventive maintenance.
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf31.htm

Protecting Your Institution From Wild Fires: Planning Not To Burn & Learning To Recover
The fires in Florida have illustrated the need to insure that your institution, whether a library, museum, or historic site, is prepared to face the threat of rural wild fires. It's important, first of all, to understand that there are some dramatic differences between urban and rural fires.
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byauth/trinkley/wildfire.html




			Planning and Preparation The best way to cope with a disaster is to be ready for one. Ideally, you are prepared to avoid a disaster in the first place (fire and water alarms, etc), but you also have to be ready for the disaster you cannot prevent (hurricanes, floods, blizzards). Here's some useful information to help plan for your disaster. The Disaster What do you need to do in the event of a disaster? Who do you call first? A good disaster plan will lay out what needs to be done when disaster strikes. Bay Area Preservation Network http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/bapnet/ Disaster Preparedness & Response Disaster Preparedness & Response In the Face of Disaster is a self-planning manual for disaster prevention, response, and recovery in libraries, museums, and cultural institutions. The manual is in PDF (portable document format) and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and/or print. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system, click here for your free copy: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html http://clrc.org/progs/disastermanualrev.pdf Sample Disaster Plans Here are numerous disaster plans, created by libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and municipalities. Lower Hudson Conference - Emergency Planning & Recovery Techniques The best time to read a book on emergencies, disasters, and other mayhem is during the relative peace and quiet of an ordinary day at work. You see the way your library, archive, or museum works and how it serves the public. You consider different parts of the collection. And you have a head start in dealing with a future emergency to minimize loss and disruption. http://www.lowerhudsonconference.org/empart/ Disaster Plans: This site offers many different disaster plans as well as other information relating to disaster preparedness http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/plans/ Disaster Planning http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf33.htm Disaster Assistance: dPlan: The online disaster-planning tool. A free template for writing disaster plans. http://www.nedcc.org/welcome/disaster.htm Worksheet for outlining a disaster plan http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf34.htm Disaster Plan Workbook, created by the New York University's Bobst Library, provides an excellent template for the beginning stages of developing a disaster plan. http://library.nyu.edu/preservation/disaster/toc.htm Fire Suppressant Alternatives to Halon for Special Fire Hazard Protection http://harc.org/approve.html Nick Artim's "Cultural Heritage Fire Suppression Systems: Alternatives to Halon 1301" in WAAC Newsletter vol. 15, no. 2, May 1993 pp. 34-36 http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn15/wn15-2/wn15-209.html Risk Management Be ready for the type of disasters that are more likely in your area. Fire Protection in Cultural Institutions: Essay by J. Andrew Wilson, Assistant Director, Fire Protection and Safety. Smithsonian Institution http://www.archives.gov/preservation/emergency-prep/fire-prevention.html National Fire Protection Association NFPA Codes and Standards - Safety is Everybody's Business NFPA develops, publishes, and disseminates timely consensus codes and standards intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. Virtually every building, process, service, design, and installation in society today is affected by NFPA documents. http://www.nfpa.org/ An Introduction to Fire Detection, Alarm, and Automatic Fire Sprinklers Because of the speed and totality of the destructive forces of fire, it constitutes one of the more serious threats. http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf32.htm Protection from Loss: Water and Fire Damage, Biological Agents, Theft, and Vandalism Providing the best protection for collections from the most common causes of loss is a basic principle of preventive maintenance. http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf31.htm Protecting Your Institution From Wild Fires: Planning Not To Burn & Learning To Recover The fires in Florida have illustrated the need to insure that your institution, whether a library, museum, or historic site, is prepared to face the threat of rural wild fires. It's important, first of all, to understand that there are some dramatic differences between urban and rural fires. http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byauth/trinkley/wildfire.html Seismic Disaster Planning: Preventive Measures Make a Difference http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn13/wn13-3/wn13-306.html Security Collections Security: Planning and Prevention for Libraries and Archives http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf312.htm Department of Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness and Response - Terrorists http://www.whitehouse.gov/deptofhomeland/sect4.html Guidelines for the Security of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Other Special Collections http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/guidelinessecurity.htm



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