Disaster response- introducing Q-Dis

It seems that 2011 is starting out the way that 2010 ended- floods and driving rain!

In a moment of great insight, our colleagues in Queensland started a disaster discussion list on the MANexus website late last year, Q-Dis . The site has become a great reference point for updates on how museums across Queensland are faring with the current flood crisis, as well as providing a good range of information on disaster response and recovery. It's well worth a visit.

Discussions with colleagues in various parts of NSW indicates that while a number of places have had heavy rain and some communities have been isolated, the museums and galleries have not been flooded in this recent round of rain. Sadly, the news in Victoria is not so good with a number of museums flooded, some for the second time in less than 6 months.

Preparing for disasters

Lockhart Museum in flood, October 2010

With flooding occurring across the state and predictions of rain through to April next year, we thought it would be opportune to focus on disaster preparedness and response at this week’s biannual Museum Advisor meeting. The meeting included a discussion with

• Libby Newell, Museum Advisor with Lockhart Shire about the museum’s impressive response to its recent flood
• Julia Davies, Outreach Officer at the Museum of the Riverina, who also helped out with Lockhart and had observations about the state of floods across the region
• Vanessa Keenan, Museum Advisor with Tumut Shire whose first visit to the area coincided with major flooding in the area
• Tamara Lavrencic, Collections Manager, Historic Houses Trust who outlined the HHT’s approach to disaster preparedness and response
• Kay Soderlund, Preservation Australia, who spoke of the recently formed Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (AICCM)’s HEART (Heritage Emergency Action Response Team)

The following are a few brief reminders of things to think of as we enter this season of climatic instability.

· Discuss possible outcomes of a disaster in advance. If you know bad weather’s coming or you are entering the bushfire season, make sure you know who’s around to help out and update phone numbers etc.

· The HHT have found that an annual training session helps people prepare for unforeseen events. In debrief sessions people have reported that their initial response was shock and that they often froze but having discussed this in training they were able to move forward.

· Preparing a list of significant objects, including information about why they are significant is an important step in preparation. This will help the disaster response team to know where to start. If you are working with loss adjusters, it will also help explain why you want to spend funds on conservation of the existing item rather than purchasing something similar in a second hand shop.

· Having a list of significant objects with photos of them and a floor plan with locations assists in locating objects quickly.

· The checklist found on p72 of Be Prepared (http://www.collectionsaustralia.net/sector_info_item/2) provides a good outline of what to think through when facing a disaster. Several people reported that stopping and planning the response was a good way of slowing down the team to take stock before rushing in.

· Establish a good relationship with local emergency services, including walking them through the building, pointing out vulnerable items. Some organisations hold an annual barbecue with the fire brigade

· Remove wet carpet as soon as possible- the underfelt can hold a lot of water which will have a huge impact on humidity levels

· Check for “black water” (water containing contaminants) before proceeding into a flooded area

· Take photos as you go along. If you are making any sort of insurance claim (even just on the building) this will help show the loss adjuster what the site was like before the clean up started.

· Things to include in your disaster bin/tub:

o Mobile phone chargers (including a car charger as you may not have access to electricity)

o Cheap digital camera and batteries

o Lots of paper towel (3 ply)

o Disposable drop sheets

o Post it notes