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Records Emergency Information

Federal Agencies

Emergency preparedness minimizes damage from any emergency, whether a small scale building problem or a catastrophic natural disaster. When an emergency does occur, effective response and recovery actions are necessary to salvage and preserve as many Federal records as possible.

The links on this page will assist Federal records managers in preparing for, responding to and recovering from an emergency. Links are also provided for Federal records management assistance, laws and regulations concerning damaged records, and information on records management during disasters.

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Records Management

Archival resources to use during a records emergency.

• Assistance in Records Recovery, Records Management and Information Security
  
  
• Contacts for Federal Agency Appraisal and Scheduling Work Groups
  
  
• Information for Federal Agencies and Courts

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Prepare

Prepare in advance so damage to records can be prevented. When records are damaged, response and recovery techniques will limit damage and allow more records to be saved.

• Vital Records and Records Disaster Mitigation and Recovery: An Instructional Guide
  
  
• Salvage Operations for Water Damaged Archival Collections: A Second Glance
  
  
• Fire Prevention
  
  
• Emergency Preparedness Bibliography
  
  
• Lessons Learned in Emergencies
  
  
• Special Challenges (Fire and Fire Suppression)
  
  
• Records Emergency Toolkit

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Respond and Recover

Respond as soon as it is safe to enter the area after an emergency and Recover records or cultural property damaged by the emergency.

Water encountered during an emergency may be contaminated. The most common and dangerous contaminants in water are salt, chlorine and sewage. Contaminants, especially sewage, may require special health precautions. Follow advice of your local health officials. Protective gloves/clothing must be worn at all times when handling contaminated materials.

• General Information on Drying the Environment and Wet Materials
  
  
• Nuclear Radiological or Biological Contamination of Archival Records Resulting from a Dirty Bomb or Explosion
  
  
• After Action Report: Long Form
  
  
• After Action Report: Short Form

Immediate Response

• Emergency Assessment Checklist
  
  
• Records Recovery Vendors

Information by Media Type

Paper (unbound documents, maps, drawings, posters)

• What Do I Do With Wet Records?
  
  
• Comparison of Drying Techniques

Photographs and Film (prints, negatives, sheets and rolls)

• Northeast Document Conservation Center's Preservation Leaflet 3.7: Emergency Salvage of Wet Photographs
  
  
• Microfilm
  
  
• Microfiche
  
  
• Motion Picture Film

Bound Volumes (books, periodicals)

• Volumes with Cloth or Paper Covers
  
  
• Volumes with Leather or Vellum Bindings
  
  
• Volumes with Coated (glossy) Paper

Audio and Video (tapes, disks)

• Magnetic Tapes: Audio, Video and Data Storage
  
  
• Phonographic Disks (vinyl, shellac and acetate)

Electronic Media (hard drives, diskettes, CDs)

• Hard Drives
  
  
• Diskettes (floppy disks)
  
  
• CDs and DVDs

Artifacts

• Minnesota Historical Society: Paintings on Canvas
  
  
• National Park Service: Salvage at a Glance - Textiles
  
  
• National Park Service: Salvage at a Glance - Natural History (specimens)
  
  
• National Park Service: Salvage at a Glance - Objects

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Contracting Emergency Recovery Services for Archival Records Template