"Ready—Or Not": Free Training Opportunities

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Landslides and Mudslides

Landslides and mudslides can quickly disrupt access to and from your institution, often causing road closures and other hazards. These events are typically triggered by heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt, or seismic activity that weakens the stability of a slope. While they can occur with little warning, there are early signs you can watch for:

• Increased rainfall or prolonged wet weather

• Cracks forming in the ground

• Tilting trees or utility poles

• Noticeable loss of vegetation

Staying alert to these indicators can help your institution prepare and respond before a landslide or mudslide causes serious damage.

Wildfires

Whether you are a museum, library, archive, special collections, or cultural center, it is essential to be aware of your risks during wildfires. Here are some things you can do to prepare for wildfires in your area, courtesy of the “Ready—Or Not” project:

1. Assess
   Confirm your level of risk for wildfire by researching your local and regional resources. Various city, county, state, and federal resources are readily available for public use.
   
   
2. Document
   Develop the necessary disaster plans, pocket plans, evacuation plans, agreements, priority lists, and memoranda of understanding to ensure you and your staff are well-prepared. Secure your vital documents, financial records, and insurance information in an accessible location.
3. Fortify
   Given your risk level and space around your structure, establish a defensible space to "harden" your grounds and area. This can include steps like trimming tree branches that overhang your building, removing combustible vegetation closest to the building, and ensuring your building complies with local fire safety codes.
   
   
4. Drill
   Ensure staff are familiar with the proper procedures for evacuating materials and personnel from the approaching blaze. Have your local fire department assist in your drills and acquire training in the use of fire extinguishers.
   
   

If you haven’t yet, consider assessing your risk for wildfires by participating in a “Ready—Or Not” project emergency preparedness assessment! By participating in the project, a consultant can help identify your specific risks and offer your organization recommendations to mitigate wildfire risks to your collections.

Fault Lines

California faces frequent seismic activity, with areas like Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Kern, San Francisco, and Contra Costa being some of the standouts. The "Ready—Or Not" team has been working with communities to strengthen emergency preparedness, encouraging participation in or forming readiness response networks—especially in remote and rural regions. Each county has an Emergency Management Office that lists local emergency responders and provides tips for businesses and homes. You can also participate in the annual Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills as another way to maintain earthquake readiness.

The Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills help people in homes, schools, and organizations worldwide improve preparedness and practice how to be safe during earthquakes.

Water Damage

September 1 marks the start of National Preparedness Month, an important reminder that disasters like atmospheric rivers, flooding, and building leaks pose serious risks to historic and cultural collections in California.

Through the "Ready—Or Not" Project, many museums, libraries, archives, and historical societies have taken simple but effective steps to reduce the risk of water damage, including:

• Elevating collections storage off the floor to prevent flood damage
• Tracking leak locations to better monitor problem areas
• Purchasing emergency supplies such as drip diverters and water sensor alarms

These small changes have had a big impact on collection safety and disaster preparedness.

If your organization hasn’t yet, consider scheduling a "Ready—Or Not" emergency preparedness assessment. These free assessments help identify your institution’s unique risks and provide customized recommendations to protect your collections from water incidents and other hazards.

LaShaunda Croussore

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, LaShaunda Croussore combines archival preservation, collections care, and program coordination to strengthen cultural organizations statewide. With experience rehousing fragile materials, digitizing historical collections, and applying preservation best practices across both analog and digital media, she helps ensure California’s stories remain accessible for generations to come.

As part of the “Ready—Or Not” Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness team, LaShaunda plays a vital role in organizing disaster preparedness workshops that empower museums, archives, and libraries to take meaningful action. “These sessions guide participants through assessing risks, creating response procedures, and refining their institutional disaster plans,” she explains. “By managing logistics, communication, and follow-up support, I help make sure each workshop translates into practical improvements for the organizations involved.”

That blend of coordination and care reflects her deep commitment to accessibility in preservation. “I’m proud to contribute to programs that make preservation training accessible and actionable,” she says. “It’s rewarding to see participants leave with tools they can immediately use to safeguard their collections.”

Traveling through the state has also shaped LaShaunda’s perspective on preservation challenges. A visit to Eureka, on the Northern California coast, stood out in particular. “The region’s climate and older historic buildings presented unique preservation challenges,” she recalls. “It really highlighted how every community’s environment shapes the way they care for their collections.”

One collection that left a lasting impression is the Alcatraz collection, which she helped preserve earlier in her career. “Handling those materials deepened my respect for how preservation connects people to place,” she reflects. “That perspective stays with me at NEDCC—it’s what drives me to help other institutions protect their own histories.”

LaShaunda continues to be inspired by the people behind the work. “I’m not surprised, but I’m continuously blown away by the creativity and collaboration within the preservation community. Every workshop brings together professionals from different backgrounds who share a deep commitment to protecting cultural heritage.”

Özge Gençay Üstün

From the redwood forests of Humboldt County to the arid beauty of the Mojave Desert, Özge Gençay Üstün has seen California’s landscapes through a unique lens shaped by deep respect for the state’s cultural and natural heritage. Based in Los Angeles, Gençay Üstün specializes in archaeological and Indigenous cultural heritage conservation, bringing a thoughtful and community-centered approach to the “Ready—Or Not” Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness team.

“I’ve personally connected with collections that are cared for by the communities they represent,” Gençay Üstün shares. To her, this connection—between people and the heritage they steward—is at the heart of what makes this work meaningful.

Throughout Gençay Üstün’s work with the “Ready—Or Not” team, the opportunity to support caretakers in remote places has been especially rewarding. “I’m proud to provide information about preservation and collections care to those who might not otherwise have access to these resources,” she says. 

Traveling across California, Gençay Üstün continues to be inspired by the richness and diversity of its cultural and natural landscapes. “It’s not much of a surprise,” Gencay-Ustun admits, “but California’s cultural and natural diversity and beauty are astonishing.”

Through each consultation, conversation, and site visit, Gençay Üstün helps ensure that the many histories woven through the state are preserved for generations to come.

Sarika Ramaswamy

Based in Los Angeles, Sarika Ramaswamy brings her expertise in archives, digital archives, and media archives to the “Ready—Or Not” Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project. Her work combines a passion for preservation with a drive to make emergency preparedness accessible to all.

Ramaswamy is developing a new online course designed for those unable to attend in-person workshops. “This course is a great opportunity for people to still gain the same knowledge and skills around emergency preparedness, response, and wet salvage,” she explained. “It’s been interesting to think about how we can translate the experience of our in-person workshops into an online format while keeping it equally engaging and practical.”

Her travels for the project have taken her across California, including a memorable visit to Eureka, where she walked among the coastal redwoods. Many of her most meaningful connections have come through her work with cultural organizations. “During drop-in visits in San Benito County, it was incredible to see how traditionally marginalized agricultural communities tell their own stories through cultural heritage sites," she said. "At El Teatro Campesino, for example, you can see the care and pride the community has put into weaving a rich theatrical tapestry to tell their own stories.”

Another project close to her heart has been helping the UCLA Bunche Center for African American Studies develop its disaster plan. “That’s where I first learned about NEDCC—when a “Ready—Or Not” consultant did a site visit there,” she shared. “Now I’m on the other side of the table helping with their plan, which feels very full circle.”

Ramaswamy is especially proud of how her team works to make disaster preparedness feel approachable. “The process can seem daunting, and it’s not something most cultural heritage professionals learn in school,” she said. “We focus on breaking it down, sharing key takeaways, and highlighting low-cost, practical solutions—like how everyday materials such as makeup sponges or wax paper can be used during wet salvage.”

What continues to surprise her most about this work is the constant learning it demands. “Being an Emergency Preparedness Consultant means always learning from others’ experiences and from what’s happening across the cultural heritage world,” she reflected. “Every organization we visit teaches me something new—whether it’s about a type of collection, a community, or how

 preparedness looks different in coastal, desert, and mountain regions alike.”

Through it all, Ramaswamy remains curious and inspired by the people she meets. “It’s such a privilege to work with so many dedicated stewards of California’s history,” she said. “We're helping them prepare for the unexpected—but they're also teaching us how to better care for the stories and communities that make up the vastly diverse cultural landscape of California."

Megan Dirickson

Based in San Diego, Megan Dirickson brings her expertise in archives and preservation to the “Ready—Or Not” Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project. Originally from Texas, she’s new to California and eager to explore the state’s remarkable range of environments—from its sunny coastlines to the towering redwood forests of the north. “Almost everywhere in California feels new to me,” she shared. “Coming from warmer climates, I’ve especially loved visiting the northern parts of California and experiencing the redwoods.”

One of the most rewarding aspects of Dirickson’s work has been leading in-person Wet Salvage Workshops. “It’s so much fun to teach these workshops and hear the creative, practical ideas that come from each group,” she said. “I’m thrilled to think about how many people we’ll reach with this training by next year.”

For Dirickson, her niche focus on emergency preparedness and disaster planning has proven to be both dynamic and inspiring. “There’s always something new to learn and new connections to make. I’m constantly impressed by the dedication of people who show up wanting to improve the ways they care for their communities’ collections.”

From her new home in San Diego to institutions across California, Dirickson is proud to help cultural stewards prepare for the unexpected—ensuring that the collections they care for, and the stories they preserve, remain safe for generations to come.