Local History

Managing Disaster

Resources for Museums, Historical Societies and Cultural Institutions

There are many resources available to guide historic societies and museums when dealing with collections damaged by flood or natural disaster.

Cultural institutions may get free telephone advice and possibly other services on cleaning up after a flood or natural disaster by contacting your regional conservation center. The Regional Alliance for Preservation can be contacted by phone at 1-800-843-8492.

Another helpful phone resource for museums, historical societies and cultural institutions is The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), which maintains a force of 64 "rapid responders" trained to assess damage and initiate salvage of cultural collections after a disaster. Cultural institutions needing assistance should contact the AIC office at 202-452-9545 for a referral.

Online Resources for Managing Disaster: Museums and Historical Societies

• Current Disaster Information—Spring Flooding in the Midwest
  Information and resources for cultural institutions, including links for submitting a damage report for spring 2008 flooding.
• Field Guide to Emergency Response: Downloadable Forms
  Heritage Preservation list of printable PDF forms to help you to get organized with the proper supplies to preserve collections when dealing with a crisis
• Collections Caretaker
  Advice for historical societies or museums for maintaining their collections after a fire, flood or earthquake
• Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions (PDF, 3.53 MB)
  A downloadable PDF guide to disaster funding for cultural institutions
• Managing Reaction: A Decision-Making Tree in Times of Crisis
  American Association of Museums gives advice to cultural institutions preparing a disaster plan
• Conservation Resources List
  Developed by the Wisconsin Historical Society, the conservation resources list gives general resources for cultural institutions looking for "best practices" to prevent damage to collections.

The Wisconsin Historical Society also offers a list of resources for managing disasters when dealing with damage to historic homes and properties.