Rude awakening Saturday morning: The whine of sirens wrestles me out of sweet dreams and into the stark reality of a tornado warning. Take cover immediately, the cellphone text advises.
Like the Three Stooges all at once, I dive into sweatpants, shove my bare feet into running shoes, and grab phone, laptop, power cords, handbag, and keys. I wrap myself in a down quilt and settle into the empty tub in the hall bathroom, the only interior space suited to ensure a modicum of safety from a hit.
As I hunker down and wait for the, “All clear,” I reflect on the irony of my situation.
Originally, my plan for the morning had been to write my weekly column on a series of Zoom workshops about disaster preparedness and recovery, but here I am, not well prepared for possible disaster,
If only I had watched part one of the four-part online series, Disaster Preparedness and Recovery, sponsored by Kentucky Humanities, in partnership with the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER), Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC), and Performing Arts Readiness (PAR).
The first workshop, Disaster Readiness: Emergency Preparedness 101, premiered August 1. Since then, it has been posted on Kentucky Humanities website, and registration for upcoming sessions is also available via the site.
According to Kentucky Humanities Executive Director Bill Goodman, “Kentucky’s cultural institutions have suffered greatly over the last few years from unprecedented natural disasters taking place across the Commonwealth. Kentucky Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities reached out to assist the organizations that were impacted by the tornados in western Kentucky and the flooding in eastern Kentucky, but now we want to assist all organizations in implementing preparedness and recovery plans in the event of future disasters.”
Goodman credited staff members Kathleen Pool and Derek Beaven for conducting interviews and gathering information for the project. “All the glory goes to Kathleen and her assistant Derek Beaven,” he said. “They did 99.9% of the research and production.”
As climate change produces formerly unprecedented disasters, preparedness is increasingly important. A current example is Hawaii’s island of Maui. Closer to home, Kentucky continues to grapple with the aftermath of tornadoes in western Kentucky and floods in the east.
Arts and cultural institutions served by Kentucky Humanities, many with small staffs and limited resources, are especially vulnerable in times of disaster. Without a plan, recovery may take longer than desired, or even lead to an organization’s eventual demise.
“Kentucky seems to be an alleyway of disaster,” Pool remarked. “We asked ourselves, ‘What are we doing to help prepare the institutions we serve?’”
The original idea was to create a 1-2 day training workshop.” We’d just sit down and do a plan,” Pool declared.
But with many small organizations in the target audience, especially those with only one paid staff member, that idea was not feasible. An alternate approach emerged and the series of 4 webinars began to take shape.
Session one examines preparedness. Part two focuses on short term response. Three details recovery measures that help an institution get back in business, and the last session explores resilience that leads to continuous adaptation of plans as situations and challenges change.
These virtual sessions last 90 minutes, which includes time at the end for questions. All sessions will be recorded and available for those who cannot attend on the scheduled day.
Participants are reminded that disaster planning saves time and money. “Planning ahead is cheaper than learning on the job,” Kathleen Pool said. Every dollar invested in prevention saves $7 in response.
The goals of hazard plans are straightforward:
• Identify and protect staff, artists, audience members, priority assets and vital records.
• Reduce the risk of disaster.
• Improve capability to resume operations after disaster.
• Increase the ability to recover from damage and loss of assets.
A key question to get discussions started is, “In the face of disaster, what is the one item you would save?” The various answers can be a building block in the process of identifying crucial assets and setting priorities.
Some strategies for preparedness are simply practical. For example, know where to shut off the water, the electricity, alarm, sprinkler systems, etc. In a routine day, these tasks may seem mundane but, according to Pool, “In the moment, you are more rattled.”
Instead of improvising under serious, and even life-threatening stress, a written plan, shared with leadership and staff, and updated regularly, gives an organization immediate, relevant action plans.
A quote from writer Marcel Proust, who was hampered by his lack of self-discipline, is an apt reminder to get started on disaster preparedness and planning: “A change in the weather is sufficient to create the world and oneself anew.”
More than one hundred participated in session one, and 300+ went back to view the video. In addition to Kentucky institutions, many from other states clicked in, from California to Maine.
Register in advance with Ky Humanities for the rest of the series.
• Tuesday, August 15, 10-11:30 a.m.
Session two: Disaster Response: The First 48 Hours
• Tuesday, August 29, 10-11:30 a.m.
Session three: Disaster Recovery: Getting Back in Business!
• Tuesday, September 12, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Session four: Disaster Resilience and Mitigation: Preparing for Next Time