DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Paper, Photographs, & Electronic Records

Why Reduce Preparing PREPARE? RISK TO MATERIALS FOR DISASTERS South Carolina faces a variety of • Identify areas of risk: are parts • Create a salvage priority list. natural disasters that could affect of your building prone to • List areas within your institu- your records including hurricanes, flood? Are you near chemical tion or off-site that could be floods, tornados, and even ice industries or construction used as command centers or storms. You may also experience zones that could affect you in a salvage areas. non-natural disasters that affect disaster? • Meet your first responders. your holdings such as fire or burst • Do not house materials or Have them tour the building pipes. The loss or damage of re- computer stations near leaky with you to identify risk areas cords that these events can cause windows or ceilings or under and brief you on their pro- may leave you unable to resume pipes. cedures. Brief them on your business, to provide services to cit- • Are your collections insured? priorities in case of disaster. izens, to prove ownership of assets, Do so if applicable • Maintain an (off-site) inven- or to cause your user base to lose • Elevate computer towers and tory of computer towers that faith in your ability to do your job. record boxes from the floor by includes serial numbers and at least 2 inches. staff assignments. Use this information to create a • Back up electronic data and • Designate responsible staff to formal disaster plan now so that store a back up off site. emergency tasks and have a you are prepared! phone tree so that essential staff can be contacted. • Locate turn offs (water, gas, etc.) and fire extinguishers In case of imminent EMERGENCY WEATHER • If the disaster involves water advanced warning, consider hardware to an upper floor or and you are unable to transport removing the materials to an- higher elevation if your facility materials or electronic backups other county for the duration is prone to flooding. off-site, encase them in zip- of the disaster. • For further tips, tricks, & use- pered plastic bags or watertight • Power down computer equip- ful information, check out the plastic containers and store in ment and disconnect it from Northeast Document Conser- areas least likely to be affected. the electrical supply - power vation Center at www.nedcc. • Additionally, cover shelves of surges and short-circuits can org. The Center can direct you materials with Polyethylene destroy hard drives! to other resources and teams Sheets (plastic sheeting). • Move hardware away from for individualized disaster • If you are a records manager windows and cover with plastic preparation help. with only one or two boxes of trash bags or taped down plas- material in your office and have tic sheeting. Consider moving

8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223 | scdah.sc.gov | 803-896-6196 DISASTER RECOVERY: Paper, Photographs, & Electronic Records Preparing Air Drying Salvaging FOR SALVAGE BOOKS AND PAPER PHOTOGRAPHS After the disaster has passed and • Use air drying for smaller num- • Because different formats of you have regained access to your bers (<200) of damp/slightly photographs must be han- building, you can begin the work of wet books/documents. Freeze dled differently, consult with a salvaging and stabilizing your re- drying/cold storage can be con- conservator before proceeding cords. Ideally this work should be- sidered for larger collections or with treatment of photographs. gin within 48 hours of the disaster’s when materials are more than Below are general guidlines. occurrence. This is especially im- slightly wet. • Photographs should be separat- portant with electronic records as • Lay individual sheets of paper ed and removed from frames you’re more likely to lose access to flat on a table covered with blot- and enclosures. If photographs data as time passes. However, your ter paper or paper towels. Set are sticking to each other, data may be recoverable even if you fans near the area but do not frames, or glass, do not attempt are not allowed onto the premises position the flow of air directly to separate. Call a conservator. for a week or more. Do NOT forget onto the drying paper. If sheets • Recover nitrate and safety films to document the disaster. If you are muddy or covered in debris, and prints first - these are less need to file an insurance claim, they can be quickly rinsed in a stable items. you will likely need to submit bath of cool, clean water only • Write down any information photos for proof of damage. if the paper does not contain about the photograph includ- water soluble ink or any kind of ing information written on the • If there is standing water any- special coating. frame or backing. where, turn off electrical power • If books are muddy, they can be • Negatives and slides may be before entering the area. Re- dipped in a bath of cool, clean quickly immersed in a bath of move standing water. water. Holding the sides of the clean water to remove debris. • If possible, regulate the tem- book firmly closed, dip the • Allow excess water to run off perature of your building book into the water and lift out. photographs before lying flat to about 65 degrees and the • If the book is very wet, inter- on absorbent material such as humidity to between 45 and leave less than 20% of the pages blotting paper, newsprint, or 55 percent. If the humidity is with blotting paper and lay the paper towels. higher or an area flooded, re- book flat replacing the blotting • Ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, duce the temperature further to paper when it becomes damp. tintypes, and glass plate nega- prevent a mold infestation. • Damp books should be set up- tives should only be air dried • Check for secondary threats right with the cover opened to a as freezing will further damage the disaster may have triggered 90 degree angle with the pages these types of materials. such as leaks (gas, water, sew- fanned out as evenly as possible. • All of these procedures are for age, etc.). • If there are too many books to general water or flood dam- • Begin moving materials on your properly dry within 48 hours, age. If the source of the water salvage priority list into tempo- wrap in freezer or wax paper damage is septic, DO NOT rary storage. Also separate out and place book spines down in attempt to clean/treat. Call a undamaged materials. containers for freezing. professional.

8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223 | scdah.sc.gov | 803-896-6196 DISASTER RECOVERY: Paper, Photographs, & Electronic Records Stabilize Salvage Salvage ELECTRONIC MEDIA STORAGE MEDIA STORAGE MEDIA • If you have access to function- • Disconnect external hard ing computer equipment, you drives, laptops, desktops, & • If the tapes seem to have dried may be tempted to try reading servers that contain hard drives completely, do NOT rinse. If a a disk or drive that seems only from all power sources includ- tape is still wet, gently rinse it slightly dirty or wet. DON’T! it ing uninterruptible battery twice with distilled water. Do could destroy both the media & power. NOT shake it to speed drainage the hardware used to read it. • Wipe the exterior of the exter- - this can cause damage. • Check that your backup copies nal drive or computer with a • If a tape came into contact with are updated and readable. If clean, lint-free cotton cloth. If water containing dirt or chem- they are, use backup copies to you are unfamiliar with com- ical contaminants, keep it wet. restore your records and dis- puters, don’t attempt to remove Pour distilled water into a plas- card the damaged media in ac- internal hard drives. tic container and the submerge cordance with your established • Keeping a water-damaged hard the tape. If it came into contact procedures. drive wet will increase the like- with clean water, air dry it. • If your backups are not up lihood of data recovery; do not Place it on a waterproof surface to date or readable and the allow wet/damp drives to dry in a cool, dry place on its spine records on the damaged me- out. But you should never rinse to help drainage. You may use dia have great value, you can a wet/damp hard drive even if it fans/dehumidifiers. The inner then begin the process of data has been in contact with seawa- core of the tape may remain wet recovery. Remember that it will ter or water that contains dirt or long after it seems dry. not make sense to try to save contaminants. • With CD, DVD, and BluRay all the records stored on your • Place hard drives into a zip- discs, remove the discs from media - only the media contain- pered plastic storage bag and housing. Always hold disc by ing unique and truly valuable seal the bag. Be sure to label outer edges. Rinse it once in records. each bag. cool, clean tap water and once • KEEP YOUR BACKUPS UP • If you are unable to remove the in distilled water. If dirt re- TO DATE! PRACTICE BACK- hard drive from a computer, mains, moisten a clean, lint-free UP RECOVERY! Recovering laptop, or server, simply place cotton cloth and gently wipe the hard drive data may cost as the damaged hardware tempo- disc from the center to its edges much as $10,000. It’s often rarily in a heavy-duty plastic in a straight line - no circular much less expensive to restore! trash bag and seal with water- motions. • In almost every case, attempt- proof tape. Again, label your • For USB drives or memory ing to recover electronic data bags. cards, DO NOT rinse. Allow yourself can cause further dam- • Remove data tapes, analog audio to air dry on a clean, lint-free age. Instead salvage your media & video tapes from cardboard cotton cloth. Prop to allow for and contact a digital recovery enclosures. Record any labels/ drainage. vendor if items not backed up information on the enclosure, are mission critical. and discard the enclosure.

8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223 | scdah.sc.gov | 803-896-6196 DISASTER PLANNING: Basic Emergency Supply Checklist

SUPPLY REC. QUANTITY QUANTITY LOCATION

Aprons, plastic 1 box (100)

Book trucks, carts, or dollies 2

Brooms and dustpans 2

Buckets, plastic 2

Camera (disposable, phone, or 1 digital) Clipboard 1

Dehumidifiers, portable 2

Extension cords (50 ft. ground- 2 ed) Fans, portable 2

First aid kit 1

Flashlights (waterproof) 1 per department

Freezer bags (polyethylene, mul- 40 tiple sizes) Garbage bags (30 or 42 gallon) 1 box (40)

Gloves (nitrile) 1 box (100)

Markers (waterproof) 1 package

Masks, protective 1 box (20)

Milk crates/Rescubes 50

Mops 2

8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223 | scdah.sc.gov | 803-896-6196 DISASTER PLANNING: Basic Emergency Supply Checklist

SUPPLY REC. QUANTITY QUANTITY LOCATION

Paper - absorbent white blotter paper 200 sheets (11” X (used for drying loose paper materi- 13” each) als) Paper - uninked newsprint (used for 22 large rolls (15” X interleaving wet materials), may also 1100’) use unscented dryer sheets Paper pads (for clipboards) 1 package (12)

Paper towels 1 case (30 rolls)

Pencils (sharpened) 1 box (12)

Pencil sharpener (handheld) 1

Plastic sheeting, heavy (polyethylene) 5 rolls

Scissors 2

Sponges (cellulose) 2

Tape (clear, 2” wide, with dispenser) 1 roll

Tape (duct) 2 rolls

Tape (yellow caution) 1 roll

Toolkit (crowbar, hammer, pliers, flat- 1 head and Philips-head screwdrivers) Utility knife 1

Utility knife blades Package of 5

Waxed or freezer paper 7 boxes (75’ each)

Wet/dry vacuum 2

8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223 | scdah.sc.gov | 803-896-6196