Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Resources
Report Hurricane Damage to Historic Properties
In addition to their terrible human and economic costs, disasters can also wreak havoc on historic properties. A number of online resources provide guidance on preparing for and recovering from disasters.
South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Integrating Historic Property and Cultural Resource Considerations into Hazard Mitigation Planning: State and Local Mitigation Planning How-To Guide (PDF)
- Floodplain Management Bulletin on Historic Structures (PDF)
- Repairing Your Flooded Home (PDF), a guide prepared by FEMA and the American Red Cross
- Before and After Disasters: Guidance for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Leaders on Working with FEMA, NPS, and Other Federal Agencies
- Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions (PDF), a joint effort of FEMA and Heritage Preservation
- Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF), co-sponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian Institute is a partnership of over 60 national service organizations and federal agencies that together constitute a nationwide resource of information, expertise, and delivery of technical assistance for cultural institutions, stewards, and first responders
- Save Your Family Treasures - Quick Tips from HENTF and FEMA
- Preliminary Damage Assessment Pocket Guide (PDF)
Role of Section 106 in Disaster Response - Frequently Asked Questions, from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings by the Technical Preservation Services division of the National Park Service
1000 Friends of Florida is a statewide non-profit organization that provides the below resources to assist with mitigation for historic structures.
- Disaster Mitigation for Historic Structures: Protection Strategies (2008) is an award-winning manual to identify materials, systems, products, and installation techniques to address the specific mitigation needs of historic structures.
- Disaster Planning for Florida’s Historic Resources (2006) is a guide that outlines steps to integrate historic resource protection into the local disaster planning process.
After the Flood: Rehabilitating Historic Resources (PDF) by the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office
The North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office has a number of resource links available on their website for post-disaster recovery of historic buildings.
What to Do After Disaster Strikes, from the California State Historic Preservation Office
Treatment of Flood Damaged Older and Historic Buildings (PDF) by the The National Trust for Historic Preservation. See also the National Trust's disaster relief and recovery website.
Cemetery Disaster Planning (PDF), a publication by the Chicora Foundation, Inc.
The Crisis Handbook: A Guide to Community Action, published by Preservation Pennsylvania, provides helpful advice for responding to a preservation emergency.
Weather it Together, by the Maryland Historical Trust, contains tools and information on how to incorporate cultural resources into hazard mitigation planning, disaster response and recovery, and climate change adaptation.
How Libraries Can Prepare for Natural Disasters and Preserve History, published by Syracuse University. This resource discusses the roles libraries play in community historic preservation with statistics on the sources of damage to collections at cultural institutions. It also outlines steps librarians and individuals should take to prepare for disasters.
Lowcountry Alliance for Response, Kick-Off Forum, Agenda and Recording