Actions for the First Day After

The first requirement after the storm is an assessment of the building's condition. This should be done as soon as possible, given all of the circumstances specific to each situation. There is probably no reason to try to assess conditions at 3 a.m.; it would be better to wait until the next morning. But, get at least a skeleton staff back on site as soon as possible. This will deter looters and the simply curious.
Before recovery begins, it is essential that the building is safe. If there is any doubt, immediately contact your structural engineer and arrange for an immediate onsite visit.

Transfer your disaster supplies to a pre-arranged, central depot that is secure but available to all staff members. Begin unpacking essential materials, such as hard hats and other protective equipment, camera and film, and so forth.
During the process of assessment, begin taking photographs--the more the better. Even things that seem insignificant now may prove to be very important as you negotiate with insurance adjusters.

Implement your command post and begin allocating staff responsibilities, depending on those able to arrive at work. Be sure that you are keeping track of staff time and duties relating to recovery. Also be sure that you are keeping a notebook of actions and problem areas.

The first priority (after inspecting for safety and hazards) should be to make the building weathertight. That means closing window and wall openings and covering roof damage. It is essential that whatever damage there is to collections be limited at this time. This is where plastic, tarps, plywood, and 2x4s become essential. If you don't have these items and need them, you are now at the mercy of a seller's market.

While work crews are making the building weathertight, quickly evaluate collection damage and determine if you need outside assistance or if the clean-up and restoration can be handled in-house. If outside assistance is needed, either for generators, clean-up, vacuum freeze-drying, or consultation, begin making your calls as soon as possible. Typically, restoration firms offer 24-hour service, so call them today because they won't be on site until tomorrow. Once you have a general idea of the condition of the building and collections, as well as your need for outside assistance, begin the process of contacting your insurance carrier.

Call the off-site storage area and inform staff there of the institution's condition. Based on the damage to the building, severity of the storm, and the potential for restoration of electrical services, you need to either have the off-site materials returned, or tell the off-site staff to await further instructions. No matter how strong the urge to reunite the collections, these materials should not be brought back until your institution is ready to re-house them under controlled environmental conditions with adequate security.

Summary

On the first day after the storm, you have taken a series of steps to bring order to chaos. You will have organized your staff and kept them safe. You will have evaluated the damage to the building and ensured that it is safe to enter. You will have started internal repair crews making the building as weathertight as possible. You will have assessed the condition of the collections.

Based on the condition of the building (the amount of water, mud, and sewage penetration, for example) and the condition of the collection, you have determined either to handle clean-up operations in-house or to bring in an outside firm. You have contacted other consultants that may be needed and arranged for their visit to your institution. You have also alerted your insurance carrier of the extent of damage and insisted that an adjuster visit within the next 24 hours. Finally, you have called the off-site storage facility and advised the staff there of conditions.

All of this has been done one day after the storm. While it may not seem that much has been accomplished, you have been working with a staff that is physically and emotionally drained. Everyone has been as worried about their home as about the institution. While it is tempting to think that the worst is over, recovery is only beginning. For those who have never lived and functioned through a major hurricane, it may be useful to offer a description of recovery efforts by one firm, BMS-CAT, after Hurricane Andrew:

Once we reached Miami, the devastation was much worse--roofs torn off; road signs missing completely; landmark building locations blown away, and power lines down. Even the concrete poles holding the main power lines were snapped off. Police barricades were everywhere and traffic was backed up for miles. Unless you could prove you had a hotel reservation, a security pass or an emergency contractor permit, it was almost impossible to get through security check points. Once we arrived at the specific location, getting through fallen roofs, uprooted trees and debris took time and maneuvering. In the initial stages of recovery, there were no working phones and no power. When we were lucky, we could communicate with our crews and warehouse via cellular phones, that is if the cells were not overloaded and when we were in an area where they were working. Available air-conditioned warehouse space was virtually non-existent, unless one had made arrangements prior to the hurricane. Getting to and from different locations could take hours due to traffic and debris. Vendors and insurance adjusters who didn't house their personnel early enough after the disaster had trouble finding hotel rooms, and some hotels had no power and/or no water for at least the first week after the hurricane. The initial stages of restoration involved removing debris, cutting away fallen trees, removing water and dehumidifying. Restoring facilities and their contents damaged by Hurricane Andrew resembled a battlefield triage operation. Our normal access to affected electronics, telecommunications, documents and media [was] severely hampered by extensive debris, structural collapse, highly corrosive salt water, lack of power, and negligible support services. Archival documents, vital records and critical work in progress were scattered everywhere. Rusting filing cabinets, overturned racks and shelves, documents wadded up in blocks where the water had receded from them and bound volumes filled with debris and sewage were prevalent throughout the affected buildings. What was important and cost effective to save? Because sufficient controlled environments did not exist for at least the first week after the hurricane, resource coordination was critical to successful restoration.

Based on this vivid description, is your facility prepared?