NEDCC staff members are available 24/7 to provide telephone advice to institutions and individuals handling collection-related disasters. Information provided includes advice on drying wet collections and dealing with damage from fire, pests, and mold. This service does not normally include on-site assistance.
For emergency assistance contact NEDCC's toll-free collections emergency hotline at:
COLLECTIONS Emergency Hotline: 1-855-245-8303
Disaster Recovery Service Providers
Some disasters — such as those involving contaminated water or large mold outbreaks — are too large or complex for an institution or individual to handle alone. In these instances, NEDCC recommends working with a disaster remediation company experienced in handling cultural heritage collections. The following companies have expertise in this area, and can be reached around the clock:
RESOURCES FOR DISASTER PLANNING AND RECOVERY
NEDCC Preservation Leaflets
NEDCC has created Preservation Leaflets covering a number of emergency management topics, such as emergency salvage of wet books and records, wet photographs, moldy books and paper; integrated pest management; and freezing wet books and records. Click here for a list of available leaflets.
Emergency Preparedness for Performing Arts Organizations
Sean Ferguson, NEDCC Preservation Specialist and Emergency Preparedness Consultant for New England, is available to help your organization prepare for emergencies. This is a FREE, grant-funded program from July 2018 to July 2019 for any performing arts organization in the New England region. Click here for more information.
American Institute for Conservation's National Heritage Responders
The National Heritage Responders (NHR) is a highly skilled team of conservators and other collections care professionals with expertise in emergency response. NHR members are available to provide advice to individuals as well as advice and on-site response to institutions. (NHR members do not normally provide on-site assistance to individuals, although it may be possible to do so in conjunction with other collections in an affected region.) All assistance provided by the NHR is free. Call the hotline 1-202-661-8068. Less urgent questions can also be answered by emailing info@conservation-us.org.
Further Reading
Fact sheets from the Heritage Emergency National Task Force:
Resources from the American Institute for Conservation:
Additional Resources:
NEDCC is grateful for support from the National Endowment for the Humanities for its training programs, outreach activities, and web resources.
(Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these resources do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.)
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