On August 31, 2011, Heritage Preservation hosted a conference call on behalf of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force to gather information about damage to cultural resources as a result of Hurricane Irene. In addition to Task Force members, leaders of cultural institutions and emergency management organizations throughout the East Coast were invited to contribute. Over 65 participants joined the call, which was hosted by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
John Ketchum, Historic Preservation Officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Jane Yagley, Emergency Support Function 11 Natural and Cultural Heritage Coordinator for the Department of the Interior, opened the call with reports from FEMA and DOI. Both agencies are still in the preliminary information-gathering stages as flood waters continue to affect some Northeastern states. Power outages and tree removal are also ongoing problems throughout the region.
Jane Yagley reported that ESF 11 has not yet been mission assigned except for one tribe in the Northeast. DOI is keeping in close contact with its local and tribal representatives in the affected regions. John Ketchum reported that his staff is working closely with the State Historic Preservation Officers to provide assistance to damaged historic properties. FEMA is also working with the affected states to establish federal disaster declarations. Parties interested in seeking federal financial assistance for recovery should monitor their state’s emergency management agency Web site for the latest information. Application procedures will be explained at a series of Applicant Briefings with locations to be announced by state recovery officials. Private non-profits and state agencies must make every effort to attend their state’s Applicant Briefing.
Lori Foley, Vice President of Emergency Programs at Heritage Preservation, then gave a brief reminder of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force protocol in the event of a major region-wide disaster. The conference call is the first step to begin gathering information and damage reports that will be shared with FEMA, DOI, and other federal partners to assist in the response and recovery process. The Task Force Information on Major Disasters Web Page contains lists of contact information for state cultural and emergency management agencies, as well as a list of useful recovery resources for heritage organizations and a damage reporting tool. If your state’s contact information needs to be updated, please let Lori know; when a Task Force conference call is convened, these are the people contacted.
Larry Reger, President of Heritage Preservation, then led participants through a series of state reports. Most states hit by the hurricane are just beginning the recovery process, and information is incomplete or not yet available. As information about damage and losses comes in, the Task Force recommends using Heritage Preservation’s damage reporting tool . All states reported significant outreach efforts in advance of the hurricane to urge cultural institutions to take preparedness steps.
VERMONT
Reports from Nick Artim, Heritage Protection Group; Jackie Calder, Vermont Historical Society; and MJ Davis, Conservator in Private Practice
- Flooding as a result of the hurricane is ongoing and at least 13 towns are still completely isolated from road access.
- The flooding has taken out many roads and bridges in the state, and at least 5 of the bridges washed away were historic covered bridges.
- The Danby Historical Society building was washed down the river by the flood and had to be demolished so that it would not take out a bridge – a total loss.
- The American Precision Museum in Windsor, VT, has also been flooded.
- The Department of Libraries has contacted more than 100 public libraries is still working to contact the rest; so far there have only been reports of minor damage, but they are still waiting to hear from one or two areas that have been severely flooded.
- The Vermont Historical Society is keeping in close contact with other Vermont cultural institutions, and they have also emailed state representatives to gather as much information as they can.
- AIC-CERT members have been called in to assist the state librarian with statewide library assessments. A Vermont AIC-CERT member was deployed to the West Hartford Public Library to assess collection damage.
MAINE
Report from Rochelle Bohm, Maine Preservation; and Linda Lord, Maine State Library
- Most of Maine appears to have been spared except on the Eastern edge, and power outages make it hard to contact people in that region.
- In response to requests for damage reports, only 5 libraries to date have reported minor water damage.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Reports from Shelly Angers, New Hampshire Department of Cultural Resources; and Brian Burford, New Hampshire Division of Records Management and Archives
- Of the 230 public and other libraries, they have received reports of 4 libraries that sustained minor water damage, and 1 that had a significant flooding issue in the basement children’s room.
- It appears that historic properties in the state all fared well in the storm. The only site reporting major damage is the Blair Covered Bridge, which was speared by a tree.
- In response to requests for damage reports from the town clerks, the Historical Records Advisory Board, and the NH Archives Group, and the Division of Vital Records, there have been no reports of damage to state records-holding institutions, but they have some areas of concern in regions that are still out of power and experiencing significant flooding.
MASSACHUSETTS
Reports from Michael Comeau, Massachusetts Archives; Michael Steinitz, Massachusetts Historical Commission; and Ben Hiltunen, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
- The state was able to get notices out early asking for reports following the storm and so far have heard nothing back in the negative.
- There has been no reported damage to historic properties.
- There are still some parts of Eastern Massachusetts that are without power, so they are waiting for information there.
- The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has teams deployed in hard-hit Western Massachusetts to assess power and emergency roadway construction needs.
- There is a report of damage to a covered bridge in Greenfield.
RHODE ISLAND
Reports from Judith Tolnick Champa, New England Museum Association; Donna DiMichele, Rhode Island Office of Library and Information and Services; and Gwenn Stearn, Rhode Island State Archives
- Electrical power outages from downed trees remain the real problem in the state; no major damage to cultural institutions was reported.
CONNECTICUT
Reports from Kathy Craughwell-Varda, Jane Cullinane, and LeAnn Power, Connecticut State Library
- Generally good news, not much was affected by the storm; it seems like most places were prepared.
- The Shore Line Trolley Museum was one institution badly flooded: 90 of the 95 trolleys were flooded and the track line was washed out. They are using the storm as a lesson and raising money to elevate the structures in advance of the next storm.
- There have been no problems reported in the State Library community, and the libraries have actually been active helping the community by providing power and internet.
- There was one public school district with wet records and the Public Records Administrator is working with them on funding for recovery and restoration through their Historic Documents Preservation grant program.
NEW YORK
Reports from Rebecca Fifield, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Barbara Lilley, New York State Library; Ruth Pierpont, New York State Historic Preservation Office; and Deborah Trupin, New York Bureau of Historic Sites
- In the northern parts of the state there has and continues to be a lot of flooding; the information is still coming in from there.
- There has been some significant damage to public libraries, with flooded basements and, in some cases, first floors as well. The State continues to update its damage report spreadsheet as libraries report back.
- There were some schools that flooded and suffered damage to their records. Some are being used as shelters; the problem is compounded because school is about to start.
- Old Fort Johnson Museum near Amsterdam lost all of its first-floor collections in floodwaters; they have been connected with AIC-CERT.
- Reports have come in from 20 of the 25 state historic sites and only two have reported any serious damage.
- The SHPO is working closely with FEMA for relief following the storm, and are gearing up for a lot of Section 106 and 1409 reviews, especially in the Mohawk Valley.
- NYC Alliance for Response was a participant in the city Office of Emergency Management conference calls before and after the storm, and has not yet had any reports of damage to cultural institutions in the city.
PENNSYLVANIA
Report from Dyani Feige, Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts
- Pennsylvania institutions appear to be fine; they have sent out an email seeking damage reports and have not heard anything back yet.
NEW JERSEY
Reports from Rebecca Buck, Newark Museum of Art; Bob Craig, New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office; Joe Klett, New Jersey State Archives; Margaret O’Reilly, New Jersey State Museum; Carl Niederer, New Jersey Division of Archives and Records Management; and Michelle Stricker, New Jersey State Library
- Reports are still coming in slowly; there was a lot of flooding statewide from the Delaware River and local tributaries, especially in the northern part of the state.
- The flooding and tree damage in some areas was worse than Hurricane Floyd.
- The County Records Building in Essex County was flooded with a foot of water; they are still waiting to hear back from other local records-holding institutions.
- Most other cultural heritage institutions survived with only minor water infiltration.
- The State Museum did have some trouble with the wind lifting roof panels, and had some water damage to a fine arts storage area.
- There have been only a few reports of minor damage to historic properties; a few outbuildings were affected.
- The State Library emailed a survey to 306 public libraries to assess damage. More than 50 have responded, and at least 9 have sustained severe flooding damage, including Paterson Free Public Library.
- The libraries were well prepared for the storm and are now helping the community by providing power, Internet access, and movies.
MARYLAND
Report from Cory Kegerise, Maryland Historical Trust
- The storm was light and uneventful in Maryland.
- One historic site (Sotterley Plantation) in St. Mary’s County had extensive fallen tree damage to its grounds.
- A lot of limb debris to be cleaned up still around historic sites.
- There was actually more damage to historic properties from the earthquake earlier in the week.
- Crews from the State Historic Preservation Office are in the field looking at buildings to check for structural damage caused by the earthquake.
WASHINGTON, DC
Reports from Jane Long, National Archives and Records Administration; Pat Nietfeld and Bill Tompkins, Smithsonian Institution; and Dianne Van der Reyden, Library of Congress
- The National Archives facility weathered both the storm and the earthquake fine; there was minor damage to the facilities but no damage to the collections.
- The Smithsonian buildings were more affected by the earthquake than the hurricane, though some cracks opened by the earthquake led to water infiltration during the storm.
- The Smithsonian is also still dealing with some cleanup of collections that were shaken off shelves in the earthquake.
- The Library of Congress fared well in the storm; they also are still dealing with some minor facilities damage from the earthquake.
- There is earthquake information for cultural organizations available on the LOC Web site.
VIRGINIA
Reports from Kathleen Kilpatrick, Virginia State Historic Preservation Office; and Sandy Treadway, Library of Virginia
- State cultural organizations fared OK in the hurricane; the storm surge was much less than expected.
- There was some damage to the seawall that protects Jamestown Island that needs to be repaired in advance of the next hurricane.
- Downed trees and power outages continue to be the biggest problem in the state, particularly in the central VA/Richmond area.
- The earthquake was also a more significant event for historic properties; there were several historic buildings damaged, which also made them more vulnerable to water infiltration during the storm.
- State libraries fared well in the storm; aside from the power outages, only minor leaks were reported.
NORTH CAROLINA
Report from LeRae Umfleet, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
- There were 220 heritage institutions in the path of the storm but most seem to have made it through OK.
- Tree damage to properties was minimal, but there are still a lot of fallen trees on the grounds of cultural institutions that need to think creatively about how to find funds to remove them.
- Two libraries were flooded.
- The State Museum had some minor leaks which are now being fixed.
- In Columbia, the Pocosin Arts Center had a 2-foot sewage back-up into their galleries.
- Two National Register–listed historic properties on the Outer Banks were swept out to sea.
- It has been hard to reach people in the Outer Banks because they are still isolated and without power.
- The storm surge damage is reported to have been worse than that caused by Hurricane Floyd.
GEORGIA
Report from Lamar Veatch, Georgia Public Library Service
- No major damage to report from Georgia.