Fall 2005 Update—Task Force Responds to Gulf Hurricanes

Fall 2005 Update

Task Force Responds to Gulf Hurricanes

Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, the Heritage Emergency National Task Force has played the lead role in coordinating organizations concerned about damage to cultural heritage institutions and sites.

Weekly conference calls convened by the Task Force have provided a forum for communication among national organizations, government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, and cultural institutions in Louisiana and Mississippi.
As the primary link between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the cultural community, the Task Force ensures a regular flow of information and has focused resources where they are most needed.
The Task Force’s Hurricanes 2005 Web pages have become the most comprehensive site for news about relief efforts and damage to cultural heritage, as well as information for cultural institutions about health and safety, technical assistance, funding, response, recovery, and more.
The Task Force serves as an information clearinghouse about efforts to protect cultural heritage and ensures that this support is timely and effective. For example, it distributed to other Task Force members, key state officials, and FEMA staff information on the Rapid Building and Site Condition Assessment Form developed by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.
Over 1,000 copies of a special edition of the Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel have been distributed along the Gulf Coast without charge, and Before and After Disasters, a new publication on federal aid for cultural institutions, has been widely disseminated on-line. The file was downloaded over 3,700 times in September.
The Task Force is disseminating through the media and FEMA Joint Field Offices information for the public on how to salvage family treasures.
Heritage Preservation’s Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) program has prepared lists of outdoor sculpture in affected areas and has given the lists, with a special assessment form, to key local officials and cultural organizations. Staff will follow up to ensure that damage to the region’s outdoor sculpture is documented.