Alliance for Response Highlight: Savannah Heritage Emergency Response

Since its launch in 2003, Heritage Preservation’s Alliance for Response program has generated a number of networks dedicated to bringing together cultural institutions and emergency management in cities across the US. The newest member of the community, Savannah, Georgia, held their kick-off Forum in December of 2009, and have progressed by leaps and bounds since then, becoming a model network for Alliance for Response.

Savannah is a city both rich in heritage and susceptible to hurricanes and flooding. The local planning committee recognized need for the partnerships an Alliance for Response Forum can foster. They recruited more than 30 percent of attendees from outside the cultural field, and local emergency responders remain deeply involved in follow-up activities.

In April, Savannah Alliance for Response formally organized under the name Savannah Heritage Emergency Response (SHER). They approved bylaws which include their mission, membership, steering committee structure, and meeting organization. You can find copies of the organizational materials here.

As a follow up to their December Forum, SHER sponsored a workshop in May on risk assessment and disaster preparedness for cultural institutions. Disaster planning consultant Arthur Dutil led the discussions and demonstration activities based on Heritage Preservation’s pilot Risk Evaluation and Planning Program (REPP). The group is encouraging city-wide risk assessments using REPP tools. The aggregated results will help SHER determine priorities for preparedness and training efforts.

SHER’s new executive committee is headed by Beth Reiter, representing the Green-Meldrim House, and Dennis Jones, Deputy Director of the Chatham County Emergency Management Agency. This pairing has helped the group expand relationships with both the cultural and emergency response communities. Most notably, SHER members have been invited to staff a workstation at the Chatham County Emergency Operations Center. This singular opportunity opens important lines of communication and represents a significant step forward for this young network.

To learn more about Savannah Heritage Emergency Response and other Alliance for Response networks, visit the Alliance for Response Web pages at: www.heritagepreservation.org/AfR/index.html.

 

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