Message from the American Association of Museums on the Flood Disaster

"All of us at AAM offer our thoughts and best wishes to the museum professionals in the affected areas. While all of you are concerned about the health and safety of your own families and homes, you are also striving to save your museum's invaluable collections. We salute you, but more importantly your neighbors will salute you for preserving their historical, natural, cultural and artistic heritages." Ford W. Bell, AAM president

AAM is distributing this information to museums in states bordering the Mississippi. We understand that your museum may not be directly affected by the flooding, but we want to share recovery resources broadly to help where we can. AAM will continue to follow the situation, communicate with federal agencies and bring additional information to the field as it becomes available.

PHONE ASSISTANCE

The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works (AIC) has a Cultural Emergency Response Team (CERT) to respond to the needs of cultural institutions during emergencies through coordinated efforts with first responders, state agencies, vendors and the public. Team members are trained to assess damage and initiate salvage efforts, and are available to provide telephone assistance and to visit the affected site as soon as it is accessible. Contact 202-661-8068 for 24-hour assistance. (The number also connects to a monitored e-mail address.)

The Midwest Art Conservation Center's Field Services Department is available 24 hours a day to assist in emergency response and recovery. Contact 612-870-3128 or umca@qwest.net.

The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) offers emergency telephone assistance 24 hours a day for institutions and individuals with damaged paper-based collections. Contact 978-470-1010.

ONLINE GUIDES

The Library of Congress Preservation Directorate features a webpage titled "Emergency Drying Procedures for Water Damaged Collections." It features concise information on air-drying paper, books and photographs and recovery from mold. http://lcweb.loc.gov/preserv/emerg/dry.html  

The Minnesota Historical Society website shares salvage procedures for a wide variety of materials, including textiles, photographs, wooden objects, leather, paintings and paper. http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/emergency.html

The National Park Service website features a webpage titled "After the Flood: Emergency Stabilization and Conservation Measures." It suggests planning methods to prevent additional damage to historic structures and to maintain historical integrity. http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/nps/npsafter.html

The National Trust for Historic Preservation website features a document titled "Treatment of Flood-Damaged Older & Historic Buildings." It addresses cleaning out mud, foundation problems, caring for wet plaster, treatment for saturated wood-framed walls and floors and treatment for historic wallpapers and interior finishes. Click here to download 

FUNDING

FEMA 2008 Federal Disaster Declarations. This website has information about which counties are included in designated disaster areas and are therefore eligible for federal disaster assistance. http://www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema

Guide to Navigating FEMA and SBA Disaster Aid for Cultural Institutions. This concise website leads cultural institutions through the process of applying to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance after major disasters. It includes links to necessary forms. http://www.heritagepreservation.org/federal/Index.html

Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums. This free online publication, produced jointly by the Library of Congress and the Foundation Center, lists 1,725 grants of $5,000 or more awarded by 474 foundations from 2003-2007. It covers grants for activities related to conservation and preservation. http://www.loc.gov/preserv/foundtn-grants.html