Atlanta Follows Up Its Forum
The Alliance for Response Forum in Atlanta in February 2007 resulted in the establishment of the Heritage Emergency Response Alliance. So far, the group has held two meetings, both attracting 18 people representing a dozen institutions. The first meeting was hosted by Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur; the second by Emory University Libraries in Atlanta.
The steering committee currently consists of Tina Seeto and Christine Wiseman from the Georgia Archives, Kara McClurken from SOLINET, and Jody Thompson from Georgia Tech.
The group has formulated a mission statement: "The Heritage Emergency Response Alliance (HERA) is an affiliation of institutions and persons interested in preserving the cultural heritage with 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. 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."
Another meeting is planned for the last week in September.