J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library

Emergency

13.1 Disaster Plan

Introduction

The purpose of this plan is to provide a basic guide for response to and recovery from disasters affecting the holdings of the J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library.

Response to emergencies

Response to emergencies is based upon the following priorities:

Most importantly, safeguard human life. If necessary, evacuate the building promptly and call for help.
Assess and contain the damage to collections if it is possible to do so safely.
Salvage as many library materials as possible.

Person / Organization	Telephone number
Fire	(434) 352-5212
Rescue Squad	(434) 352-5433
Police	(434) 352-8241
State Police	(800) 552-0962
Ryan Higginbotham, Director	(540) 425-4937
Pamela Judy, Chairperson	(434) 352-0950
County Administrator’s Office	(434) 352-2637

Fire emergency

If there is a fire:

Your first priority is to ensure the safety of people in the building.
Use common sense and do not panic. A minor, contained fire (trash can fire, for example) can be extinguished with the fire extinguishers located at the entrance to the staff workroom and near the used book display.
If a fire cannot be easily and safely extinguished, call (434) 352-5212 (Fire) and (434) 352-8241 (Police) and evacuate the building.

Evacuation procedures

Evacuation of the building should begin immediately after the fire as been positively identified and cannot be extinguished by a staff member using a fire extinguisher.
Begin to systematically clear the library until help has arrived.
Be certain to check the restrooms and the meeting room.

Water emergency

If there is a serious leak, broken pipe, or flooded areain the building, call County Administrator’s Office at (434) 352-2637 and state that you are reporting an emergency water problem. After hours, notify…
If water is leaking from the ceiling, cover the area with plastic sheeting and place buckets under the leaks.
If there is water on the floor, remove materials from lower shelves onto higher shelves or tables well away from standing water. Do not place any material on the floor, even in seemingly dry area, as the leak may spread.
If possible turn off electrical circuits to the flooded area. Unplug electrical equipment in the area if you can safely do so.
If electricity in the building needs to be turned off, call County Administrator’s Office at (434) 352-2637.
The building needs to be evacuated only in case of major water damage and when structural damage can be expected.

Natural Disasters: Tornadoes

Tornadoes may occur in Virginia from March to October. Because tornadoes move rapidly, there may be little warning if there is a tornado; consequently, there will be little time to seek shelter.

When a tornado occours, the building should not be evacuated. If possible, persons in the building should move to an inner hallway or small inner room away from windows. Stay away from book stacks since they may tip or collapse.
In addition to water damage, walls, ceilings, and shelves may collapse. When structural damage occurs, the person in charge of building maintenance needs to assess the structural damage and determine when it is safe to enter the building. Then, damage to affected materials needs to be assessed.

Natural Disasters: Hurricanes

Hurricanes may occur on the Atlantic coast of Virginia between June and November. Damage from heavy rain and flooding, as well as high winds may occur. Hurricanes are slow moving, so precautions can be taken before the storm actually strikes.

Because sufficient warning can be given in a hurricane emergency, the building can be evacuated and closed before the hurricane strikes. The following precautions should be made: rare and valuable materials can be moved to a safe place; the power can be turned off; windows should be taped to reduce the danger of flying glass; and doors should be closed. If there are people in the building when the hurricane strikes, they should move to an inner hallway or small inner room and not leave until the storm is over. A battery powered Emergency Notification System operates on all staff computers so that weather reports can be monitored.
Most damage from a hurricane will be water damage; however, there is a possibility of structural damage, broken windows, and collapsed shelving. If there is structural damage, the person in charge of building maintenance needs to assess the damage and determine when it is safe to enter the building. Then, damage to the affected materials needs to be assessed. The recovery operation for library materials may include surveying water damage to books and other library materials, reshelving, and deciding upon repair of broken windows.

Natural Disasters: Earthquakes

Earthquakes may occur in virginia. The danger from earthquakes is caused by what they do to man-made structures - debris falling from damaged buildings, flying g lass from broken windows, fires caused by broken gas lines, and flooding due to broken water pipes. There is no warning before an earthquake occurs.

If an earthquake occurs, do not attempt to evacuate the building. Persons in the building should stay in the inner core of the building away from windows. Shelter should be taken in a doorway, in a narrow corridor, or under a heavy table, desk, or bench. Also be aware that after-shocks may follow for several hours or days after the earthquake. A battery powered Emergency Notification System operates on all staff computers so that the earthquake can be monitored.
Damage from an earthquake may include structural damage to the building, collapsed shelving, damage to equipment and furniture, water damage from broken pipes, and fire and/or smoke damage caused by broken gas lines. All damage will need to be assessed by the person in charge of building maintenance before reentering to begin recovery operations.

Bomb threats

If a bomb threat is received by telephone, evacuate the building and notify the Police at (434) 352-8241
If a suspiciouis object or package is found, notify the Police.

Recovery and Salvage

For emergency consultation, call the Northeast Document Conservation Center at (978) 470-1010, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Review Damage & Establish Priorities

Rapid response is essential for an effective recovery effort. Paper-based collections begin to distort physically immediately after becoming wet. Books swell and distort paper cockles; inks and pigments run; coated papers begin to adhere.
The Library Director should evaluate damage and establish salvage priorities.
Archival records, rare books, records vital to the operation of the Library, and any other irreplaceable items should receive the first attention.
Determine the kind and degree of damage that materials in each location have sustained.
Determine whether the salvage operation can be handled by staff or if a disaster recovery specialist is required. Consult experts as needed.

After reviewing the extent of the damage, the Library Director should set up a disaster recovery team and assign personnel as needed.

Handling and removal of material

The most common emergencies (fire, flood) involve water damage. If possible, loosely sort materials according to degree of wetness (soaked, damp, dry). Pack like materials together, e.g. damp records in one box, soaked in another, etc. See also specific instructions below relating to water damage and fire damage.

Materials must be removed from affected areas, either to a salvage/drying area within the building or to another area nearby. Likely locations are a classroom or gymnasium.
Files: Place folders in boxes or milk crates. Place the folders vertically in boxes (standing as they would in a file drawer). Fill boxes only about 75% full to allow for swelling.
Bound Volumes: Load unto metal book trucks or into boxes or plastic milk crates for transport. Place normal-size volumes in a spine down position. Pack large volumes flat in boxes. If time allows, loosely place sheets of freezer paper or waxed paper around every volume. Boxes should be packed only about 75% full to allow for swelling.
To ensure inventory control and for insurance purposes, it is necessary to know the condition and disposition of materials. As materials are removed, a staff member should be assigned to label each container with a brief designation of its contents (by call numbe range, etc.); damage type (wet, dry, smoke, etc.) and salvage priority; and destination.
Assign a photographer to document the damage and salvage operations.

Water Damage

Evaluate the situation and decide whether the materials can be air-dried on-site, or if they must be removed to a freezer facility. Refer to a list of consultants for outside assistance in evaluating the disaster. If the damaged materials are not too numberous or too thoroughly soaked, air-drying will be a viable option and a drying area will be required. For detailed instructions on procedures to follow, see the Northeast document Conversation Center’s Technical Leaflet “Emergency Salvage of Wet Books and Records.” A summary of key steps is listed below. Consult the complete document for details.

Secure a clean, dry environment where the temperature and humidity are as low as possible. The temperature must be below 70 degrees F and the humidity below 50%, or mold will probably develop and distortion will be extreme. Keep the air moving at all times using fans in the drying area. This will accelerate the drying process and discourage the growth of mold.
Thoroughly soaked books and books with coated paper should be frozen as soon as possible. Wrap them loosely in freezer paper or wax paper and pack them flat in boxes, preferably plastic mail crates, for transportation to a freezing facility. If they cannot be frozen before they dry, interleave the pages with unprinted newsprint or paper towels. Keep an inventory of books packed and removed to freezer facilities.
Wet books with covers intact can be air-dried. Interleave every few pages, starting from back of hte book, turning pages carefully. For interleavinguse paper towels or clean, unprinted newsprint. Be careful to avoid interleaving too much or the spine will become concave and the volume distorted.
When books are dry but still cool to the touch, they should be closed and laid flat on a table or other horizontal surface, gently formed into the normal shape, and held in place with a light weight. Do not stack drying books on top of each other. In no case should books be returned to the shelves until thoroughly dry; otherwise mold may develop, particularly along the gutter margin.
Air-drying is most suitable for small numbers of records that are damp or water damaged only around hte edges. Single leaves can be laid out on tables, floors, and other flat surfaces, protected if necessary by paper towels or clean, unprinted newspring, or clothesline may be strung close together and records laid across them for drying. If there are hundreds of single pages, or if the water damage is sever, other methods of drying will be more satisfactory and cost-effective. Once dry, records may be rehoused in clean folders and boxes, or they may be photocopied or reformatted in other ways. Dried records will always occupy more space than ones that have never been water damaged.
Microforms subject to water damage should be professionally cleaned and dried within 48-60 hours. It will need to be sent to a processing laboratory. In most cases, the film should not be used again, but a duplicate copy should be made and the damaged one discarded. If the film is dirty/muddy, put in a bucket filled with clean cold water and agitate lihgtly to remove major dirt deposits. Pack for shipping. If a film cannot be salvaged within about 60 hours, it can be frozen.

Fire damage

If there is a fire, materials will suffer fire and smoke damage in addition to water damage. It is necessary to consult conservators and other experts. In absence of professional help, handling of charred items should be avoided if possible, since handling will result in further damage. Rare, archival, or special collections must be evaluated by a conservator.

Basic Emergency Supplies

Essential supplies should be maintained in the Library. Other emergency supplies are located at the County Administration building. Obtain additional items as needed. Located in the library: Book trucks, UPS powered Emergency Notification System, extension cords, small fans, flashlight, plastic garbage bags, paper towels, plastic sheeting, tables. Located at County Administration Building, or obtained by County Maintenance: Dehumidifiers, fans, portable generator

Experts, Consultants, & Equipment

The Library of Virginia - Contact the State Librarian as soon as possible after the disaster occurs. The LVA will provide e xpert advice, assistance, and support, as mandaged by the Code of Virginia, Sec. 42.1-91, incoordination with the state Department of Emergency Services
Northeast Document Conservation Center Emergency telephone consultation Telephone: (978) 470-1010, 24 hours a day, seven days a week Fax: (978) 475-6021

Adopted by the J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library Board of Trustees on January 20, 2003.

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