Submitted by Martzahl, Veronica, Records Archivist, Digital Collections and Archives, Tufts University
On Friday, March 23, 2012 representatives of multiple
Coordinated Statewide Emergency Preparedness (COSTEP) groups in New England had
the opportunity to meet with each other and with representatives of both state
and federal emergency management agencies. This summit, the second of its kind,
was held in conjunction with the New England Archivists Spring Conference (the
first summit was held in conjunction with the NEMA conference last fall).
Representatives from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode
Island were able to share their experiences of reaching out to local cultural
heritage institutions at the local level and provide each other with tips and
advice regarding their most successful approaches to increasing disaster
preparedness amongst this constituency. COSTEP CT has been focusing on
collections care and assessment, and will be conducting a workshop at an
upcoming Connecticut Library Association meeting. In Massachusetts, COSTEP had
been awarded a grant from FEMA to conduct a series of local meetings about
hazard mitigation, conduct multiple risk assessment workshops, and work with
Regional Planning Agencies to raise awareness of cultural institutions in the
process for planning for and mitigating of disasters. COSTEP RI is focusing on
a series of trainings in conjunction with the Northeast Document Conservation Center covering disaster planning and preparedness as well as wet book
recovery.
FEMA representatives were available to answer questions,
particularly around federal grant money that is available after a disaster
declaration for mitigation programs. Additionally, the group heard from special
guest Fiona Macalister, a
Winston Churchill Traveling Fellow, who is researching various aspects of
disaster recovery. Ms. Macalister provided the group with her insights on
disaster preparedness from an international perspective.
Each of the COSTEP organizations is
actively seeking participants. If you would be interested in getting involved,
or if you are just interested in learning more, please contact BJ Larson at 781-641-0013 or bj.larson@nemanet.org and
she will direct you to the appropriate state contact.
