In the wake of recent events, museums have learned that museum disaster planning is required to be able to respond in the case of emergencies, natural and man-made. The process is known as “emergency preparedness” or “disaster planning”. The word “disaster” describes major events, such as floods, fires, or earthquakes. Most collection disasters are much smaller in scale such as flooding from a burst pipe. Below are several resources for museums to create Museum Disaster Plans.
Resources:
American Alliance of Museums (AAM)
Developing a Disaster Preparedness / Emergency Response Plan
International Council of Museums (ICOM)
Guidelines for Disaster Preparedness in Museums
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
A Guide to Risk Management of Cultural Heritage
The Heritage Collections Council
Guidelines for Small Museums for Writing a Disaster Preparedness Plan
The American Museum of Natural History
Emergency Preparedness
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Disaster preparedness and mitigation: UNESCO’s Role
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Active Shooter: How to Respond
* Image: International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)