Disaster Planning & Recovery Resources

A Guide to Getting Started

Disaster can strike at any moment. In the U.S. alone the number of declared major disasters has nearly doubled in the past fifteen years. Though each situation is unique, any organization can be better prepared if it plans carefully, puts emergency procedures in place and practices for emergencies of all kinds. To help members navigate through the process of preparedness, ACM has gathered resources that can help your museum prepare for various situations.

Basics of Disaster Planning
Facilitate a proactive rather than reactive approach to disaster preparation at your organization. The below resources will help your organization gather the right tools for any situation.

Tips on How to Get Started:
-Consult with your insurance agent about precautions to take for disasters that may directly impact your business.
-Discuss business continuity insurance with your agent.
-Create a resource exchange system with a fellow museum or allied organization located in a distant city, state or province. This provides for off-site data storage of important financial, legal, tax and insurance documents.
-Keep phone lists of your employees and contacts with you, and provide copies to key staff members.
-If you have an office voice mail system, designate one remote number on which you can record messages for employees.
-Arrange for programmable call forwarding for your main business line(s). Then, if you can't get to the office, you can call in and reprogram the phones to ring elsewhere.
-If you may not be able to get to your office quickly after an emergency, leave keys and alarm code(s) with a trusted employee or friend who is closer.
-Install emergency lights that turn on when power is out. They are inexpensive and available at building supply retailers.
-Back up computer data frequently throughout the business day. Keep a backup tape off site.
-Use UL-listed surge protectors and battery backup systems.
-Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone alert feature.
-Stock a minimum supply of the goods, materials and equipment you would need for business continuity.
-Keep emergency supplies handy, including:
o Flashlights with extra batteries
o First aid kit
o Tools
o Food and water for employees and visitors to use during a period of unexpected confinement at your organization

Resources to Help Get Started:
FEMA's Emergency Management Guide for Business and Industry - A comprehensive guide that provides step-by-step advice to organizations on how to create and maintain a comprehensive emergency management plan.

Ready.Gov for Business - A comprehensive site created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that details helpful resources and information for disasters of any nature.

Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions - Produced by FEMA, NEA and Heritage Preservation, this guide provides summary descriptions and contact information for 15 federal grant and loan programs for cultural institutions.

Disaster Planning for Small Business - A guide for disaster planning for smaller organizations created by the Small Business Administration.

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Resources on How to Create a Plan:
Emergency Plan Template - Produced by Ready.Gov, this basic template will guide your organization through the steps necessary for effective disaster planning.

The Online Disaster-Planning Tool - A free online tool, partially funded by IMLS that will help you simplify the process of writing a disaster plan.

Open for Business® Toolkit - Offered by the Institute for Business & Home Safety, this toolkit includes materials to help organize critical information.

Miami Children's Museum Disaster Plan - A comprehensive sample plan from an ACM member museum.

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Tips on How to Create a Plan:
-Anticipate crisis; think and talk about what might happen and how it can be effectively managed.
-Develop response strategies that can be implemented when a crisis occurs.
-Designate a Crisis Management Team.
-Indentify and train a spokesperson for the organization.
-Monitor and keep communication lines open between internal staff.
-Manage the message and the media.
-What is the issue? Define the nature of the crisis.
-What is your message? Keep the message clear and consistent.
-Communicate early and often.
-Be proactive rather than reactive.
-Decide on specific communications methods (press conference, in-person briefing, etc.)
-Release prepared statements and collateral materials to the media.
-Identify and prioritize key audiences and channels of communication.
-Know what type of information each audience is seeking and keep them informed.

Resources on How to Create a Plan:
Crisis Communications Tool-Kit - A site created by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation that outlines what to do and what not to do in times of crisis.

Crisis Communication Tool-Kit for Non-Profits - A template created by The Colorado Nonprofit Association for nonprofits to adapt and implement.

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Resources for Helping Kids Cope
Children and adolescents experience trauma differently from adults and from one another. Below are tips and resources on how children's museums can help guide the discussion after an event occurs.

Tips on How to Help Kids Cope:
-Allow children to discuss their experiences - children need a safe, accepting environment to discuss their feelings.
-Offer reassurance through physical closeness - children may need extra hugs, smiles and hand-holding.
-Maintain structure - children need consistency and security during their day, especially when the world around them seems confusing or unpredictable, or when adults are preoccupied or upset.
-Respond to children's interest in talking about the disaster - children gain a sense of control by talking about things that bother or confuse them. Talking with a supportive adult can help them clarify their feelings.
-Remind parents to make sure children aren't over-exposed to media coverage of the disaster - more than any other action avoiding media coverage will protect children from confusing and disturbing images.

Further Resources:
Helping Young Children Cope with Disaster, by Please Touch Museum® - A guide for children's museums to utilize in order to help families with young children.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children - Resources to help families give children emotional support and assure them they are safe during a crisis.

The Family Readiness Kit - A tool developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics designed specifically for families.

Helping Children After A Disaster - Information from the American Academy of Child Adolescent and Psychiatry about how to identify and cope with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in children.

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Resources for Helping Communities Cope
After a disaster, your organization may become a place for locals, especially families, to seek assurance and stability within your community. Below are resources on how to help members of your community cope.

Tips on How to Help Your Community:
-Work with local disaster relief organizations to develop relief programs and activities for the community.
-Alert members, the media, city officials and schools about the museum's activities, programs and resources for relief.
-Create a volunteer pool specifically for the museum's disaster relief programs.

Further Resources:
ACM Hand to Hand - After the Disaster: The Road to Recovery - This issue of Hand to Hand provides first person perspective on what happens after a major disaster. Read articles on how several children's museums became central to 'emotional' recovery efforts within their respective communities.

Disaster Counseling - Basic suggestions from the U.S. DHHS's National Mental Health Information Center for assisting those who've experienced a disaster.

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Contact ACM Program Manager, Membership, Lila Elliott at 202-898-1080.