About Atlanta
Heritage Emergency Response Alliance

Who we are:

Mission statement:

The Heritage Emergency Response Alliance (HERA) is an affiliation of institutions and persons interested in preserving the cultural heritage in the Metro Atlanta area and serving as a resource to cultural institutions around the state. The primary aim of HERA is to mitigate the loss of cultural heritage materials in the event of a disaster.
Click here to view the HERA Bylaws.

What we do:

As preparedness is the key to any successful disaster mitigation, HERA's strategy is to enhance disaster preparedness through the following activities:

• Networking
• Information sharing
• Increased awareness and encouragement of Disaster Planning
• Providing opportunities for disaster recovery education
• Interaction with local and state Emergency Management
• Preparing and responding collectively to disasters in the Region
• Identify existing resources (materials and expertise) needed after a disaster

History:

The Atlanta Alliance for Response Forum was held on February 8, 2007, at the High Museum of Art. Several follow-up meetings resulted in the formation of a group known as HERA, the Heritage Emergency Response Alliance. The group has held a table top exercise at NARA’s Southeast Regional Archives where we discussed a scenario in which a fire struck the Carlos Museum at Emory University. After the March 15, 2008, tornadoes, we used the listserv to disseminate information about locally affected cultural institutions and gathered supplies and staff to help pack out some historical records from a building damaged by the tornado. We have been on a tour of the Oakland Cemetery to view the damage that they sustained. In September 2008 we held a panel discussion titled, "The First Responders have left...Now What?" And plans are in the works to obtain shared disaster supplies, create mutual agreement, provide Community Emergency Response Training, and more.