The Library s Place During (and after) a Community Disaster

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1 The Library s Place During (and after) a Community Disaster North Central Kansas Library System January 15, 2009 Helen Rigdon, MLS Interim Assistant Director Kansas City Kansas Public Library System

2 Disasters No library is immune Emergencies can be: Hurricanes Floods Fire Tornadoes Excessive Snow Loss of HVAC

3 Coffeyville, Kansas Population (before flood) 10,958 Lies at the lowest geographical point in Kansas Sets on the banks of the Verdigris River Had 500-year flood in 1964 New levees were constructed then to withstand another 500-year flood Then came early Summer 2007

4 And the Rains Came Down Was former director at Coffeyville, KS Public Library during flooding Late June 2007, southern sections of Kansas was hit with several days of very heavy rains after a very wet spring. Hardest rain fell Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June 30

5 Flood Facts River crested at 30.7 feet above flood stage of 26.5 feet Water poured over the top of the levee for 2.5 days City notified residents to evacuate on Saturday night, June 30 90,000 gallons of crude oil leaked into flood water

6 Flood Facts East side of town was barricaded off Residents were not allowed into their homes for 10 days Mold grew at an alarming rate inside of flooded homes No highway access to the south or east for several days

7 Flood Facts 12,301 volunteer hours were logged for FEMA reimbursement. This number does not include Red Cross or Salvation Army hours 140 National Guard housed in college residence halls and in tents

8 Flood Facts 960 persons were displaced according to FEMA 77 business were flooded Potential loss of $15.8 million in structure values To date, 355 homes have been demolished

9 Oil in Water July 1, 2007

10 Coffeyville Fairgrounds

11 Coffeyville Flood July 1, 2007

12 Coffeyville Resources Tank Farm July 1, 2007

13 Coffeyville Neighborhood Flood July 1, 2007

14 Coffeyville Flood July 1, Former Wal-mart and Townsman Hotel

15 Library s Job Given a library s place in the community and the proficiency in gathering, verifying and disseminating of information, it is only natural for the public library to take on a major role during a community disaster.

16 Services Attended all City Hall/Informational meetings so correct information was posted. Obtained and handed out all forms/brochures from FEMA, Red Cross, Kansas Department of Health and EPA, K.A.R.E and others Houses the EPA report about the impact of the flood

17 Services Helped citizens locate and initially apply for FEMA relief until FEMA set up Printed off filing instructions for FEMA, including list of needed documentation Community Room used by environmental cleanup company to work out of until other space could be found Operation Photo Rescue

18 FEMA

19 FEMA Individuals can not sign up for assistance until President declares federal disaster for individuals. Coffeyville received disaster declaration for local government first (Monday, July 2) Individual declaration did not come until July 5

20 FEMA Printed off copies of the Applicant s Guide for help after a disaster. Printed off copy of what documents victims needed when applying. Helped get victims logged in. Met with FEMA representatives and CPL was used for victims sign up until FEMA moved in their own equipment.

21 Services Provided access for Red Cross volunteers, National Guard, and the scores of other service volunteers that came to Coffeyville Library s Community Room was used by local mental health agency to hold town meetings to help citizens deal with emotions Supplied victims information on preservation of damaged property

22 Services Supplied books to the four shelters Worked with the Red Cross in helping people find Internet resources Provided a calming place away from shelter for displaced persons and families City Recreation was displaced used Community Room for crafts classes for a year

23 Family Treasures Preservation Library of Congress Preservation

24 Operation Photo Rescue Margie Hayes from Operation Photo Rescue contacted CPL. Outside of Katrina, Coffeyville has been the only other place to receive assistance from this organization Four volunteers came to Coffeyville on September 28 and 29, 2007 to help flood victims restore pictures CPL supplied the contact, room and marketing

25 Operation Photo Rescue

26 Library Disaster Plan Each library needs one But where to start? Who has the time? What goes in it? HELP!

27 Notes of Thanks I received a note and a $15 donation today from Coffeyville: Dear Operation Photo Rescue, Thank you for your love and kindness during my loss. I love the work that you and your group is doing. I am sending you a love gift; wish it could be more. Remember the Lord and you will be Blessed. Cleola Martin

28 Disaster Planning Resources The Disaster Mitigation Planning Assistance Website

30 dplan dplan is designed to help institutions of all sizes: Small and medium-sized institutions that do not have in-house preservation staff University libraries, museum campuses, or statewide library systems that need to develop separate but related plans for multiple buildings, locations, or branches State agencies or professional associations that seek to structure training programs on disaster planning

32 Response Recovery team must assess the affected area and materials Several things must happen at once Hence the importance of assigning specific duties to each member of the team How much of the collection is damaged? Document damage in writing, speaking into a tape recorder or video-recording the damage Photographs take many to document what has been affected and MUST BE taken before any cleanup work has started

33 Inform the Public Assigned team member Press releases to: Local newspapers Television Radio Use one clear institutional voice Side benefit community will rally to help!

34 Library Disaster Planning After creation, plan should be reviewed and updated yearly City Disaster Plan Check with city officials Make sure they know library is willing to step up and play an active role Volunteer during disaster to stay in touch with city officials and disaster personnel

38 Most Important Role As one anonymous patron said in a customer satisfaction survey done in Fall 2007: It gave us someplace quiet and relaxing to go during the flood and allowed us and our children to get out of the shelter.

39 Resources City of Coffeyville/Cindy Price FEMA Operation Photo Rescue Disaster Mitigation Planning Assistance Ready.gov dplan.org

40 Resources (Cont.) Heritage Emergency National Task Force Lower Hudson Conference Kahn, Miriam. Fires, earthquakes and floods: how to prepare your library and staff. Online Vol. 18 May 94 p Kuzyk, Raya. Serving through disaster. Library Journal Vol. 132, Issue 5 3/15/2007 p Sep 2008 Watkins, Christine. Chapter Report: Disaster planning makes (dollars and) sense. American Libraries vol. 27 Sep React packs at Protext.com Water diverters

Not Scared... Prepared

Non-fiction: Not Scared... Prepared Not Scared... Prepared By Valerie Havas Many people help out during emergencies. Sometimes news headlines are scary. Hearing about tornadoes, bird flu, war, and events