2024 Hurricane Season - "This Will All Blow Over Soon..."

Happy June and welcome to Hurricane Season 2024! Hurricane season for the east coast starts June 1, and runs through November 30th. That's six whole months of storm tracking that takes up most of Summer and Fall.

Here are our top five Hurricane Preparation Tips

• Review your emergency and/or disaster plan with your coworkers and do some training around it.

  • The more that you and your coworkers train on your emergency plan, the more ready you all will be when a storm in enroute.

  • Never built a tabletop training before? Checkout this guide, or AAM's guide.

• Check your Emergency Supply Kits or Stash

  • Knowing what you have on hand, and what supplies you might need to obtain if you are in the path of a hurricane can ensure that you stay ahead of things.

  • Don't have an emergency supply kit? Checkout this webinar for what to include in a general emergency kit, and in how to store/manage/and train with the materials within it.

• Walk around your institution and identify potential wind-threats

  • Unsecured bike racks, book drops, outdoor furniture, dead/dying trees etc. can all be projectile hazards in a hurricane or high wind situation. Identify these risks and update your emergency plan to help mitigate these possible risks.

• Update your contact lists for staff, board, volunteers, and insurance/vendors

  • If you don't have a Pocket Response Emergency Plan (PREP) consider downloading the template for free from the Council of State Archivists and creating one for your staff to keep on them during hurricane season so they are prepared to respond at any time.

• Track the Storms

  • Use the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Hurricane Center to keep your eye what storm may be vapproaching and what paths it might take.

Want to be more prepared? Here are some additional resources to check out!

• National Resource Guide for Disaster Preparedness

• Drying Wet Collections & Buildings (National Heritage Responders)

• Collections Evacuation (National Heritage Responders)

• Mold in Collections (National Heritage Responders)

Looking instead for some Hurricane recipes to prepare for your hurricane party? We got you.