The whole publication in PDF - Culture in Development

every thing can, or needs to, be rescued. Some items can easily be replaced, others are rare or valuable. It is much
better to decide beforehand which items have priority as in an emergency it is difficult to think clearly (Fortson,
1992).
6.2.3. Response
Response is the phase of the disaster plan when disaster actually strikes. This element covers the instructions for
the immediate actions after a disaster (Buchanan, 1988). It covers, amongst others, assessment of what is being
faced, gathering of the disaster team, alerting the emergency services, and the organisation of the recovery (Fröjd
et al., 1997). It also copes with stabilisation of the building environment to prevent the growth of mould, preliminary
assessment of the extent of the damage, photographing damaged materials for insurance claim purposes, the setup
of an area for recording and packing material that req uires freezing, and transport of water-damaged items to the
nearest available freezing facility (Brandt-Grau, 2000).
FEMA developed very concise and useful emergency response and salvage wheels (FEMA, 1997).
6.2.4 Recovery
The phase during which everything is getting back to normal is called recovery. At this time the team has to carry
out the programme to restore both the disaster site and the damaged materials, determine priorities for restoration
work, develop a phased conservation programme, contact insurers, replace treated material in the refurbished site,
and finally analyse the disaster and improve the plan in the light of experience (Brandt-Grau, 2000). This part of the
disaster plan will be the largest. It will contain a salvage technique for all varieties of media as well as the do’s and
don’ts for handling.
A lot has been said about recovery and the o verall conclusion is that disasters have to be dealt with immediately.
Delay increases the risk of losing part of the collection (Payne, 2000). This is especially true for water-related
damage. The faster the corrective action, the better the result (Buchanan, 1988). Of course the materials need to be
handled with care otherwise the objects will suffer additional damage instead of being rescued.
Attention must be paid to the hazards of the working environment. Ash, soot, mildew, dirt and mould all may
cause ill health. Fire and earthquake damaged buildings are not healthy surroundings to work in. Precautionary
measures must be taken for the safety of personnel by providing at least protective clothing and masks. It is
important that no one is working alone in a d amaged building and it is recommended that a buddy system is
organised in order to alleviate much insecurity. Keep in touch with personnel through walkie-talkies and plot the
work placement of personnel with a chart at the reference desk (Reinsch, 1993).
As a rule not much attention is paid to the needs and problems of the personnel at the time of recovery. The
Getty Conservation Institute does bring this to the notice of conservators and distinguishes six stages of reaction that
staff may experience after a disaster. Tensions and tempers may run high, but euphoria is also a possible reaction
at a certain stage. It is important to schedule regular breaks, to provide food, organise a place to eat and rest, and
have bathroom facilities at hand. W hen the staff have worked long hours, their fatigue will affect their work
negatively (Dorge et al., 1999). Emotions and stress experienced during the recovery period after a disaster need
to be managed. Physical and psycho logical problems at this stage should not be underestimated (Reinsch, 1993);
(see also Payne, 2000).
It is obvious that, in particular, man-made disasters like war and terrorism, will have far-reaching consequences
for the psychological health of the victims. Archiving the atrocities of war is not an easy task as John Dean found
out during the recovery of the Tuol Sleng Archives after the war in Cambodia. There was a constant morbid and
oppressive atmosphere in the room due to the character of the archives (Dean, 1999c).
Even theft or robbery in the archives, library or museum often have unforeseen co nsequences. Innocence, trust,
collegiality and public confidence are all undermined and the psychological wounds can take a long time to heal
depending on how quickly the crime is resolved. This is even more marked when the thief is a museum employee
(Sozanski, 1999).
Lessons learned from a retrieval operation after an occupation are that identification and documentation of the
collection are very important for recovery. Ob jects that are properly packed or boxed are safer when they are moved
in the event of looting (Norman, 2000).
For personal p rotective equipment and measures during fire-related recovery see Trinkley, 2001 and during
water-related recovery see Fortson, 1992. For general health and safety see Newm an, 198 9. For further reading see
Barton, 1989; Cunha, 1992; Smith, 1992b; IFRC, 1993; Shapkina et al., 1992.
6.2.4.1 Water-related Recovery
The Bishop Museum in Hawaii advises that first and foremost every item must be immediately removed from the
wet environment to a clean, dry room where the temperature and humidity are as low as possible, to prevent an
outbreak of mould growth. This can best be achieved b y fans, placed ind irectly so as not to blow away loose papers
or pages undergoing the d rying process. Since relative humidity is frequently over 60%, dehumidifiers will assist
greatly to create a drier environment. Raised, flat surfaces are needed on which to place d amp, or sodden, materials.
Paper towels can be used to absorb moisture readily and can be continually replaced. Always remove the wet
absorbent materials from the drying area, so they do not ad d to the humidity of the room . If the materials have to
be dried outside for lack of a clean, dry room, remember that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight may fade inks
or pigments and accelerate the ageing of paper (Bishop Museum website).
In western countries water damaged books are often frozen to prevent mould growth and to stabilise wet
material. The drying method used for frozen paper-based material is freeze-drying. This method has shown good
results but is very expensive. If the equipment for freezing and freeze-drying is not availab le or if this system is too
expensive, air-drying is the only reasonable solution (Buchanan 1988).
Air-drying is the oldest and most common method of dealing with wet books and records. It requires no special
equipment but it is extremely labour intensive and can occupy a great deal of space. Due to distorted bindings and