National Preparedness Month, observed every September, encourages Americans to prepare for disasters and emergencies at home, in businesses, and within their communities. For museums, it is a reminder to assess and strengthen their emergency plans, this month and at strategic times year-round. As institutions that safeguard cultural heritage, museums must be prepared to respond to natural disasters, security threats, and other emergencies that could impact their collections, staff, and visitors. This is an opportunity to explore some of the resources below, and consider how they may apply to your own work. These resources can help as you review and update your museum’s emergency procedures, conduct staff training, keep updated and robust disaster recovery plans, and more. By prioritizing preparedness, museums can protect their valuable assets and continue serving their communities, even in times of crisis.
Explore related resources from AAM:
» AAM Resource Library topic on Disaster Planning & Risk Management.
» AAM’s Accreditation and Core Documents Verification require having a Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Plan.
» An AAM Toolkit is available for purchase to assist with updating your museum’s core documents. Learn more about Mastering Your Museum’s Core Documents.
Different Lenses for Addressing Our Planet Crisis – On-Demand Program recorded from a session at the 2023 AAM Virtual Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo.
Museums with a Future: Prioritizing Climate Resilience to Respond to a Changing World by Stephanie Shapiro offers information about Climate Resilience Resources for Cultural Heritage
Is Your Museum Prepared for Ransomware? by Elizabeth Merritt
Thinking about the Unthinkable: Disaster preparedness and emergency response plans for small museums by Donald P. Zuris
Making a Splash! 6 Things to Know about Exhibits with Water by Trevor Cunnien
TechTalk: Collections Insurance Top Ten Questions to Make Sure Your Museum is Properly Covered – On-Demand Program and transcript offered by Huntington T. Block insurance agency.
Covering Your Assets: Facilities and Risk Management in Museums, edited by Elizabeth Merritt; AAM Press and Rowman & Littlefield (2005).
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Security and Operational Priorities for Reopening Cultural Institutions by Darrell Utt and Bill Edwards
- The Role of the Board in Times of Crisis – On-Demand Program recorded from a session at the 2020 AAM Virtual Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo.
- TrendsWatch 2020: Building Financial Resilience in a Time of Crisis by Elizabeth Merritt
Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF)
AAM is a member of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF), and acts as one of many organizations distributing timely information for cultural heritage disaster preparedness and response when disaster strikes, to the states and areas most affected by the disaster. HENTF, co-sponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution, strives to protect cultural and historic resources in our nation’s states, tribes, territories and local communities from the damaging effects of disasters. In addition to assisting museums and other cultural institutions when their collections are damaged by an event, HENTF helps reduce disaster suffering by assisting the public in salvaging flood-damaged family heirlooms.
» HENTF’s Field Guide to Emergency Response, first published in 2006 and updated in 2017, is a compact handbook designed for immediate use when disaster strikes. Simple, clear instructions help staff organize essential disaster response functions and tackle common threats to collections. The guide includes handy checklists, and a related playlist of Youtube videos on salvage techniques.
Articles and stories from across the museum field:
- “When Disaster Strikes at the Museum of Art at the University of New Hampshire” by Kristina L. Durocher in Museum magazine
- Museums as Disaster Responders: A Q&A with Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate by Adam Rozan
- How Museum Educators Are Using Strategic Foresight to Address Climate Change by Mickey Maley and Daryl Jorgenson
- Collaborating with Emergency Responders to Protect Cultural Heritage by Donia Conn
- “Assess for Success” by Laura Nice and Janet Turner in Museum magazine
- FIRE! Providing Comfort in a Moment of Crisis by ZeeAnn Mason
- Museum Staff as Disaster Service Workers by Elizabeth Merritt
- Never Underestimate the Power of Preparation! by Elizabeth Merritt
- Facing the Rising Tide: How the Whitney Museum of American Art Addresses Resiliency and Storm Preparedness Through Design by Erin Flynn
- The Case for Digital Facility Reports by Bernadine Bröcker Wieder
- Let it Bloom: Reconstructing a hurricane-stricken historic garden by Adam Levine
- Up On the Roof: The McNay Art Museum’s re-roofing project by Christy Rhone
- “A Call To Action: An update on international cultural property protection” by Corine Wegener in Museum magazine
- A Fragile but Resilient Eco-System: Santa Barbara’s Museum Community and Natural Disasters by Bruce Robertson
- Seamless Coordination: 7 Reasons to Hire Your Architect and Exhibit Designer at the Same Time by David Whitemyer
- “Texas Arts Groups Gather Resources for Artists Impacted by Hurricane Harvey” from Hyperallergic
- “How extreme weather events are testing disaster preparedness and resilience” from The Washington Post
- “Clean House to Survive? Museums Confront Their Crowded Basements” from the New York Times
- “The New ‘Monuments Officers’ Prepare to Protect Art Amid War” from the New York Times
Additional resources from:
American Association for State and Local History:
Technical Leaflet #234: Disaster Planning, Preparedness, and Recovery
Blog posts on Emergency Preparedness and Recovery
Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums:
Native Craft Artist Readiness Program is a six-month program that provides training, resources, and financial support to build sustainable craft art business practices.
Getty Conservation Institute:
Building an Emergency Plan: A Guide for Museums and Other Cultural Institutions
Institute of Museum and Library Services:
Natural Disaster Recovery Resources for Museums and Libraries
International Council of Museums:
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Library of Congress:
Free to Use and Reuse: Natural Disasters
National Archives:
Disaster Response and Recovery: Information and Guidance Tools
National Endowment for the Arts:
Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions
National Endowment for the Humanities:
Disaster Readiness & Emergency Preparedness 101, a great introduction for anyone new to the field of disaster planning, this webinar includes guidance and tips from members of the arts and humanities sector in Kentucky.
New York Foundation for the Arts:
Emergency Preparedness: A 4-Step Action Plan is easy to follow, and geared toward helping individual artists in all disciplines protect themselves and their assets in case of emergency.
National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response:
A comprehensive list of tools and resources that offer current information and guidance on the most pressing readiness and response needs of arts leaders.
National Park Service:
Historic Preservation Fund – Disaster Program
Be Prepared: Develop a Museum Emergency Operations Plan
Building an Emergency Plan A Guide for Museums and Other Cultural Institution
Severe Weather and Natural Disaster Response
Museums + Heritage:
Emergency planning in museums – what you should be doing
Smithsonian Institution:
Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative and FEMA jointly sponsor Heritage Emergency and Response Training (HEART), a training for cultural stewards, first responders, and emergency managers to better prepare them to work together to address emergencies and disasters that affect cultural institutions and historic sites.
Smithsonian Institution Archives – Emergency Preparedness
Smithsonian National Collections Program – Collections Emergency Management
Virginia Association of Museums:
Western Museums Association:
Disaster & Emergency Preparedness Resources
Examples of how you or your museum might take action to be prepared:
Learn from these important examples in September, or throughout the year:
- The Museum of Discovery and Science hosts “Eye of the Storm,” an all-ages event on weather preparedness. Visitors can enjoy activities like hurricane expert presentations, live weather shows, FIU Wind Engineering demos, NOAA Hurricane Hunters, and a meet-and-greet with local meteorologists and first responders.
- The Pacific Tsunami Museum’s Civil Defense Disaster Preparedness Fair focuses on raising community awareness about disaster preparedness and resilience. Attendees can learn about local hazards, emergency planning, and engage with agencies like the Hawai’i Volcanoes Observatory and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in partnership with The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, has replaced the incandescent bulbs in Chris Burden’s sculpture Urban Light (2008) with LEDs, a move expected to prevent five million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over the next decade.
- The Smithsonian Institution and FEMA co-hosted an hour-long disaster simulation/drill designed to help museums how to plan for worst-case scenarios, and focused on protecting cultural artifacts in the face of disasters.
- The Baker Museum emerged mostly unscathed from recent storms, thanks to climate resiliency measures implemented after Hurricane Irma severely damaged the museum in 2017. Director Courtney McNeil emphasized the importance of disaster preparedness, including safeguarding outdoor artworks and ensuring staff safety. While waiting for power restoration, the museum’s leadership highlighted the critical role of dedicated staff in executing their disaster plans during crises.
Sharing with the field
Has your museum completed any activities or plans for National Preparedness Month, or at any other recent time? Consider pitching an idea about your museum’s work with your community, how your museum worked internally on the initiative or program, or another relevant angle for museum professionals. We are always looking for posts that empower museum professionals to do their best work; reveal new ideas and connections; and speak to a wide breadth of museum types, sizes, and disciplines.
About National Preparedness Month:
National Preparedness Month – Ready.gov shares information and resources related to this public service campaign
Significance of the 2024 theme: