Today is the last day to respond to the winter storm survey created by the Texas Historical Commission Museum Services Program to assess the impact and support needed for recovery.
Reminder: Last Day for Winter Storm Survey
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Water Problems
Water is the most common problem cultural institutions face in an emergency situation – whether due to hurricane activity, fire, or, as Texas experienced last week, pipes burst due to freezing conditions. This video by AIC & FAIC provides an excellent starting point to addressing flooded buildings and waterlogged collections:
Disaster Recovery Support Survey
With freezing temperatures and widespread power outages last week across all 254 counties in Texas, museums across the state have sustained damage to their sites and/or collections. Federal funding may be available to support recovery efforts.
Please take a few minutes to complete this survey, which will help the Texas Historical Commission Museum Services Program and our state and federal partners assess both the impact and the support needed for recovery. This survey will be open through Friday, February 26.
Prioritize Safety
As dangerous winter weather continues to plague Texas, the American Red Cross urges everyone to stay safe and stay at home if possible, and offers these steps to follow:
When you are able to return to work, you may be confronted with a variety of collection emergencies. To prepare, we suggest studying the National Heritage Responders’ Tip Sheets before you return. These documents offer practical guidance on how to respond and recover to collection emergencies:
https://www.culturalheritage.org/resources/emergencies/national-heritage-responders/tip-sheets
Writing a Disaster Plan – 5 Part Video Series
For a more in-depth and practical look at writing a disaster plan, we suggest the educational video series called “Writing a Disaster Plan” created by the Collections Care Network of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) in 2015. This is the first video in the series that can be found on AIC’s YouTube Channel.
Emergency Planning
Developing an emergency plan for a collection is an important yet intimidating task. There are many different ways to approach it, and professional resources are available to help you. We think this reference guide created by the American Alliance for Museums is a great place to start!
PPP eligibility explained for artists and non-profits in this free online webinar.
Free Webinar by FAIC’s National Heritage Responders
The National Heritage Responders will be hosting a free webinar on January 12th, 2021 at 1 pm Eastern time titled “Using Linked Open Data to Map Cultural Heritage Organizations in Georgia for Disaster Response.”
Register here: zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ORu_T1csSDSF8ZrNK0cL5A
For more information, please contact learning@culturalheritage.org.
Free FAIC “Health and Safety in Disasters” Webinar – December 9th
The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) is hosting a free webinar titled: “Health and Safety in Disasters,” on December 9, 2020 at 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The speaker, Dana Stahl, the Safety and Health Manager for the Seattle Public Library, is a Certified Industrial Hygienist with more than 20 years experience managing health and safety programs in private industry and the public sector.
Find the full description and registration information here: https://learning.culturalheritage.org/products/health-and-safety-in-disasters
The webinar will take place on Zoom and automated live captions will be available for those who choose to use them. For inquiries about accessibility or other questions about the program, please contact learning@culturalheritage.org. The webinar will be recorded and the recording will be available to view shortly after the live event is complete.
Open Board Member Positions
TX-CERA is currently seeking two (2) members-at-large to complete our board for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. If you are a conservation or museum professional who is interested in organizing and promoting emergency preparedness in Texas, please contact us at tx.cera@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
