FLOODS OF 2008 Cedar Rapids

Work your politicians

Opening/unblocking doors to begin air circulation to reduce mold outbreaks

TRIAGE WORKSTREAMS CLEAN AND DRY to new environmentally controlled space, acquired while waiting for flood waters to subside ITEMS FOR FREEZING set up water stations, rinse, and pack out ARTWORK ON WALLS retrieved by paper conservators, stabilized and taken to conservation lab CAN’T FREEZE separated out and sent to the University of Iowa for assessment TEXTILES 20 th century items frozen to deal with later Everything else left in the mud for specialists to retrieve and assess

CLEAN AND DRY Acquired new environmentally controlled space while waiting for flood waters to subside Started evacuation of this material while other areas being set up for triage work Excellent place to start your volunteers, minimal health hazards, immediate satisfaction of results

Dry material to new storage area

WET, MUDDY, MOLDY MATERIALS Takes time to set up Difficult to get enough sinks set up Hard to keep materials wet until making it to the sink Volunteers not prepared to work in the sun Tent erected as soon as possible Abandoned collection prioritization as didn’t know what was what until mud rinsed off

Keep items in mud until ready to rinse and pack for freezing

You have at least two times to make a “discard” selection. If you can’t see it, rinse it, save it, make a decision later.

Can’t get too many sinks! Tent provided needed relief from the sun 15 minute errands took up to 5 hours

ITEMS CAN’T FREEZE If it was artwork/flatwork, item taken out of frame and sent to State Historical Society of Iowa lab for cleaning Costume textiles, left in mud for specialist Wooden objects set aside for wood conservator All other set aside, dried as best we could, packed, and sent to University of Iowa to deal with later UI officials took time out to find storage area for us

Artwork/flatwork taken out of frames and taken to the State Historical Society of Iowa Conservation Lab in Iowa City

Textiles left in mud until textile conservators arrived

Think before you discard. This piano will probably never play again but it is important to the community. It is now a flood artifact and tells two stories -- the original story and flood story.

15 Flood water can come from underground. Johnson County Historical Society archives extraction from 3 1/2 feet of water

Although the nonprofits were able to enter their buildings fairly quickly, the City of Cedar Rapids would not let staff or volunteer conservators into city buildings.

Being Visible and Staying Open for Business Critical Offices set up and storage secured before floods receded Available to the public within days after the floods – store fronts in the Malls Gave interviews, held fundraisers, continued programming, wherever, whenever

Realize you are in a disaster situation Do the Best you can and --- Let it Go!

PROTECT YOURSELF Wear a N95 disposable respirator Use disposable gloves if handling the material Goggles or protective eyewear should be worn Don’t touch your eyes or mouth if you’ve touched a moldy item Wash your hands as soon as possible once vacated infected area Take a shower and wash your clothes in hot water and bleach Illnesses due to exposure to mold can result from both high level, short-term exposures and lower level, long- term exposures.

Observations It’s not business as usual – it’s business as unusual PLUS You and your staff were in a disaster; stress will show Being prepared and using good preservation practices paid off Ditto everything Nancy Baker just said

African American Museum of Iowa Grand Re- Opening January 16, 2009 After the flood, June 18, 2008

Resources: From Disaster to Hope: Flood 2008 by Informatics Inc, Cedar Rapids, Iowa at under “Video Showcase” University of Iowa Flood Video at Heritage Preservation Select Heritage Emergency National Task Force Pocket Response Plan (this can be your first baby step toward a plan) dPlan, an online disaster planning template Field Guide Emergency Response booklet & DVD Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel 24 hour hotline

Ebaugh, Alicia. "Salvaging Collections is Like a Hidden Treasure Hunt." The Gazette (Cedar Rapids), August 4, article?AID=/ /NEWS/ /0/r ss04 Includes 4 videos: How to salvage flood-damaged photos How to salvage flood-damaged LP’s, CD’s and DVD’s How to repair flood damaged books How to salvage flood damaged documents

Nancy E Kraft, Head Preservation Dept And Preservation Librarian 319/ or Preservation Beat