Having a Disaster Plan

If you own treasured family artifacts, photographs and scrapbooks, and who doesn’t, then having a home disaster plan is a good idea. Anyone who lives in an area susceptible to floods, hurricanes, tornados and blizzards knows that sooner or later the inevitable will occur. It can even happen due to fire and broken water pipes.

As a librarian and a photo curator, I served on a number of disaster preparedness committees. Museum curators and librarians know that preparing for an emergency before it happens can save their collections. Most institutions have a plan that tells staff what to do just in case the worst occurs. It’s contains information on salvaging a collection, a list of helpful contacts and outlines what supplies are kept on hand to help cope with the aftermath. While it may be impossible to avoid a disaster like a hurricane there are steps you can take to prepare beforehand...

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