Cultural Loss Assessment Survey
Available On-Line
The National Task Force on Emergency Response, a coalition of federal agencies and national organizations, is undertaking an assessment of damage to cultural properties in New York and Washington resulting from the September 11 attacks. The National Task Force is led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Heritage Preservation. Enclosed please find a fact sheet outlining Task Force goals and accomplishments. Funding for this project is being provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Bay Foundation.
Our first step is to gather information from museums, libraries, archives and exhibiting institutions in lower Manhattan and neighboring areas. Museums in the affected areas have been sent printed questionnaires. The PDF version on this site is provided for their convenience; a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader is available for free download here.
We have tried to design the survey in the simplest possible way. Almost every question can be answered with a simple check mark, although sections at the end invite respondents to provide greater detail of their own experiences.
Findings and recommendations will be included in a report to be issued in the Spring of 2002. The report will be widely distributed and posted on this Web site. Printed copies will be sent to participating institutions. Responses to the survey will remain confidential; the study will not cite individual institutions by name unless prior permission is obtained.
Survey results will enable the National Task Force to evaluate the extent of damage and loss, as well as document conservation needs. With this information in hand, we will be able to develop emergency management resources to aid cultural institutions in the future. Your prompt assistance in completing this survey by December 21 will be greatly appreciated.
A complementary copy of The Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel, a hands-on tool to help cope effectively when disaster strikes, will be sent to each organization participating in the survey. This valuable resource has been endorsed by FEMA and other federal agencies and national organizations.
Thank you for your assistance in this effort and if you have questions, please contact Project Manager Ruth Hargraves at our toll-free number 888-388-6789 or by e-mail, rhargraves@heritagepreservation.org.
