ASSEMBLE A DISASTER RECOVERY KIT

The next step in the preparation of the disaster plan is to stockpile emergency supplies to be kept on hand. The .i.salvage kit; should contain a copy of the disaster manual. The supplies can be kept in one or more convenient locations. Some items (e.g., flashlights, scissors, tapes) are extremely tempting to borrowers so there should be an inventory from time to time to make sure everything is available and in working order. Many institutions keep the supplies lashed to hand trucks: this makes it easy to transport them to the scene and it also provides hand trucks to assist in removing materials from the disaster area. Book trucks; are another good option. An alert, informed staff and a good salvage kit can prevent a great many minor emergencies from becoming major disasters.

DISASTER KIT; COMPONENTS

All the items are useful but you don't have to get everything. Read the list carefully and decide what would be best in your institution. Many companies sell a great variety of products through catalogs. Order the catalogs early in the planning process so you can see what is available. (Section 5, p. 75)

First Aid Kits; - available from drug stores, camping supply stores and safety products suppliers. Separate kits can be stored in various areas and one can be in the disaster kit. They come in different sizes; some companies will customize. Sources include: Conney Safety Products, Direct Safety, Grainger, Lab Safety Supply, Staples.

Plastic Sheeting - Polyethylene;, from three to five mils thick. The thicker plastic is less likely to tear, but will be heavier and more expensive. This is an essential part of the salvage kit; used to protect items from overhead leaks. Order enough to cover all priority collections. Pre-cut some to suitable sizes, re-fold, and label the bundles so they can be taken immediately to the appropriate areas. Keep some plastic in various parts of the library; in case of an overhead leak, the faster an area is covered, the fewer wet materials. It is available from paint and hardware stores and from many industrial catalogs.

Water Diverter; - for protection from overhead leaks. An industrial vinyl plastic tarp, carried by Pro-Text, Inc.; stocked in sizes from 3' x 6' to 6' x 10'; can also be ordered in custom sizes. There are grommets at the edges to facilitate hanging over a collection and a standard garden hose fitting makes it easy to lead water away. The diverter is reusable and would be a good thing to have if your institution suffers from persistent roof leaks.

Corrugated Cardboard Boxes; are not really ideal for soaking wet materials but it is good to have knocked down boxes in the disaster kit. They take up relatively little space and are inexpensive compared to plastic crates. They can be lined with large plastic bags before wet books go in. Moving companies, such as U-Haul, Mail Boxes stores and shipping supply companies like Uline, sell boxes of different sizes. Other regional sources:

Express Depot, Fishkill, NY; Gold Service Allied, White Plains, NY; K Carton Corp., West Haverstraw, NY; Movers Supply House and New York Moving Supplies in the Bronx; The Packaging Store, Elmsford, NY; Pack and Mail, Fishkill, NY; Pack N Ship, Brewster, NY and Danbury, CT; Quality Carton, New Windsor and Sloatsburg, NY; Universal Packaging, Newburgh, NY; Yorktown Paper Products, Peekskill, NY.

Plastic Crates ;- (like .i.milk crates;). As many as possible.

Folding crates are most convenient for the salvage kit. They are available from Global Industrial Equipment; Schiffmayer Plastics Corporation.

Regular crates. Many sizes and shapes are available, but for easy stacking and handling, get just one or two types, not more than about 16"x16". They can be found in discount stores, home centers, etc or ordered from: Global Industrial Equipment; LRM Associates

Rescubes are one-piece folding boxes made of corrugated polyethylene. They are reusable and can be stored flat and set up as needed. They do not absorb water from wet books and do not need to be lined. There are several ventilation openings. Books can be sent to freeze-drying facilities in Rescubes. Available directly from ProText, Inc. or from Gaylord, University Products and other conservation suppliers.

Newsprint;, unprinted - A cheap, absorbent material, very useful for covering work surfaces, interleaving wet books, even wrapping, in a pinch. "End rolls" may be available from local newspapers but it is better to buy newsprint in sheets. When calling paper distributors, ask for unprinted or blank newsprint, suitable for packing. Delivery may be available. Moving companies also sell newsprint in small, convenient packages; a good choice when only a little is needed. Prices and minimum quantities vary. Suppliers include: Century Paper, Ridgefield, NJ; Eastern Bag & Paper, Milford, CT; Leland Paper, Glens Falls, NY; Spiegel Bros. Paper Co., Kingston, NY; Roberts-Boice Paper Co., Poughkeepsie, NY; Sofco, Inc., Scotia, NY; Yorktown Paper Products, Peekskill, NY.

Blotting Paper;- for drying documents, maps, works of art on paper, photographs, paintings. Acid-free blotting paper is available from Archivart, Gaylord, and other conservation suppliers. If acid-free blotters are not available, use any white blotters but be careful to remove them soon after the object is dry to prevent acid transfer.

Non-Woven Polyester Web, ;e.g., Hollytex; or Remay;, for interleaving flat items, books. Used whenever wet items are likely to stick to newsprint, blotters or each other. It is available from:

Bookmakers, Gaylord, University Products and others.

Polyester Film; (Mylar;), 3 to 5 mil - for supporting large flat items, in sheets about 32"x40" and in smaller sheets, about 8"x10", for using as moisture barriers when the covers of a book are damp but not the text. Order the sheets cut to size from conservation suppliers or buy a roll and pre-cut before putting into the disaster kit.

Flashlights, Headlamps; -  with extra batteries. Available from hardware stores, safety products suppliers, camping goods stores, etc. Headlamps are flashlights attached to elastic straps that can be worn on the head or over a hat. They leave both hands free and their light always falls where the wearer is looking.

Chemical Light Sticks;- the high intensity sticks provide light for about 30 minutes; the low intensity, six to twelve hours. The low intensity sticks are not bright enough to work by, but they can be used to mark aisles, etc. They are available from many camping supply stores and also from: Cole-Parmer Instrument Co., Conney Safety Products, Direct Safety, Lab Safety Supply, and others.

Freezer or Waxed Paper - used to separate wet books when they are packed to send to freezer storage. Available from supermarket or industrial supply catalogs.

Chemical Sponges ;- made from chemically treated foam rubber,

2"x 3"x 6". For removing soot, dirt or mold from books, walls, fabrics, etc. They are used dry. Available from: housewares stores, the Gonzo Corp., and from conservation suppliers.

Rubber Boots  and Rubber or Plastic Gloves, many pairs, in different sizes to fit different staff members. Reasonably priced boots, gloves and other protective items are available from technical and lab catalogs and from farm supply and discount stores: Conney, Direct Safety, Lab Safety Supply, TEK Supply.

The following items are available from hardware and discount stores and supermarkets. Janitorial supplies are also available from many industrial catalogs such as Conney.

Brooms                                       Mops

Buckets                                      Plastic aprons

Paper towels                             Plastic garbage bags

Masking tape                             Wide plastic or duct tape

Extension cords                         Fans

Scissors                                     Clothesline &/or filament line

Hammer                                      Wrenches

Screw drivers                            Knife-type cutter and extra blades

Wet/Dry Vacuums; - good for picking up small amounts of water, such as from a small leak, or what is left after pumping. Especially useful for drying wet carpeting in minor floods. Different models hold between 5 and 55 gallons; l0 to 20 gallon models will be effective and of a manageable size. They are available from hardware and discount stores, and from catalogs of industrial equipment suppliers, such as Global Industrial Equipment and Grainger.

For cleaning mold, it is best if the vacuum has a .i.HEPA; (high efficiency particulate air) filter, otherwise the spores will escape back into the air. If this is not available, lead the vacuum exhaust to the outdoors or put a one-part bleach to four-parts water solution or some other fungicide in the tank to trap the spores.

Transistor Radios and Two-Way Radios - optional, helpful if the power and phones were out.

Disposable Cameras - For recording damage. Note whether one-hour film developers are available in your area.

Video Camera - and tape. This need not be permanently in the salvage kit; the disaster response team could simply have ready access to one.

Clipboard and Notepad, Pencils, Waterproof Markers

Thermometers;, Hygrometers;, Data Loggers; or Psychrometers; can be included in the disaster kit. Separate instruments should be used year round to monitor temperature and humidity in various parts of the institution.

Moisture Meters - For measuring the relative humidity inside an object, such as a book, meters with probes are best. Available from Cole-Parmer, Conservation Resources, TALAS.

Sonin, Inc. makes an inexpensive moisture meter designed for testing the water content of wood. It is carried by Tru-Value Hardware stores. The tips of the Sonin's probes are quite sharp; dull and then smooth them with a file before using with books or papers. It measures moisture content as low as 10% which is at the high end of normal for books, but it can serve as a progress check when drying wet materials.

Handtrucks, if desired, for storing and transporting supplies. Nose extenders make it easier to keep large items on the handtrucks. They are available from hardware, catalog and discount stores, and from industrial supply catalogs, e.g. Direct Safety, Dozier Equipment, Global Industrial Equipment, TekSupply.

Shock Cords (Bungee Cords) - useful for keeping recovery supplies attached to the handtrucks. They can be bought at hardware, discount, camping, motorcycle and other stores.

ReactPaks - Another way of obtaining many of the items listed above is to purchase one or more .i.ReactPaks;. The kit consists of a .i.Rescube; (described above, p. 25) filled with basic supplies and equipment. Since the boxes measure about one cubic foot, they take up little space and can be stored in many locations. ReactPaks can be bought instead of or in addition to a disaster kit put together by the institution. They are available from ProText, Inc. and from most conservation catalogs.