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Disaster Preparedness and Response for Historic Cemeteries

Disaster Preparedness and Response for Historic Cemeteries

BY K RIS VID O S O N AU G U S T 28 , 2013 1 C O M M E N T IN C E M E TE RY C O N S E RVATIO N, M ATE RIALS C O N S E RVATIO N, VID E O S

Thankyouforjoiningustoday.Thisistheseconddayofourwebinarsondisasterpreparedness.Thankyouforthose
whoarereturningfromyesterdayandwelcometothosethatarecomingforthefirsttime.Luckily,mostofyouknowwho
NCPTTis,havinggonetoourwebsiteandfoundoutaboutthesewebinars.SarahJacksongaveagoodintroduction
yesterday.Ifyoudidntcatchit,youcangobackandviewthat.Forthoseofwhodidnt,Illsortofgooververybrieflya
littlebitaboutNCPTT.
MynameisJasonChurch,ImaMaterialsConservatorandtodayweregoingtotalkaboutDisasterPreparednessand
ResponseforHistoricCemeteries.Now,historiccemeteriesisanimportantphraseinthere.Imnotgoingtotalkmuch
aboutactivecemeteriesornewoneswerenotgoingtotalkaboutburialorburiallossorreburyingafteraflood,that
sortofthing.Wellgooveritbriefly,butmostlywelllookatissuesathistoriccemeteries.
So,welcomeagain.WerecomingtodayfromLeeH.NelsonHallfromtheNationalCenterforPreservationTechnology
andTraining,usuallyabbreviatedNCPTT,andherewearearesearchandtrainingofficeoftheNationalParkService.
Now,foryearsIvesaidtopeoplewerenotyouraverageParkService.Welookatculturalmaterials,andwedontlookat
baldeaglesandfuzzybears.Ivesaidthatforyears,andIvedecidedtochangethatthought,because,infact,wedolook
ateaglesandbears,butjustinadifferentway.
SowhatwedohereatNCPTTislookatculturalmaterials,howtheydecay,whatwecandotostopthatorslowthat
decay,whatwecandotoconservethese.Welookatalotofarchitecturalpieces,outdoorsculpture,thingslikethat,Ido
personally,andthatswhatwellbetalkingaboutmoretoday.SoNCPTTsmissionistoadvancetheapplicationof
scienceandtechnologytothefieldofhistoricpreservation.IndoingthatwehavefourmaindivisionshereatNCPTT.We

haveArchitecture&Engineering,Archaeology&Collections,MaterialsConservation,andHistoricLandscapes.
Sowellmoveonandtalkalittlebitnowaboutdisasterpreparednessfor
historiccemeteries.Sothefirstthingwewanttotalkaboutisbeforethe
storm.Thisisreallyimportant.Thisis,inmyopinion,themostimportant,to
havethisstuffreadybeforeyouactuallyneedit.Itsalotbettertobeproactive
thanitisreactive.Wecangetalotmoredonebeingproactive.Wecangeta
lotofthingsaccomplishedthatwemightnothavethoughtabout.Sofirst
weregoingtotalkaboutwhattodobeforethestorm,andwewillgettowhat
todoafterthestorm.Isaidbefore,youwanttobeproactive.Wewantto
expecttheworst.
Weregoingtotalkalittlebitaboutdocumentation,emergencyplanfortheofficeandstaff,stafftraining,andalsocontacts
thatyouneedtomake,again,beforethestorm.Thatsnotsomethingwethinkmuchabout,butweregoingtogoover
thatalittlebit.Sothefirstthingweregoingtotalkaboutisdocumentationandwhyisthisimportant.
Whatdowemeanbydocumentationinourhistoriccemeteries?Thefirstthingthatwewantisanaccountofthecurrent
condition.Whatdoyouhave?Whatisthestatethatitsin?Andthiscanbesomethingaselaborateasafullinventory.I
teachalotofclassesondocumentation,andthereslinksontheNCPTTwebsitetowebinarswevedoneon
documentationandmoreinformationaboutthat.Buttheresalotofthingsthatwecangainfromhavinganaccountofthe
currentcondition.
Forexample,weregoingtotalkalotaboutdisasters,andpeoplethinkaboutnaturaldisasters,butImalsogoingtotalk
moreaboutmanmadedisasters.IjustreadanarticlethisweekIbelieveitcameoutoftheStateofOhiowherethey
caughtayoungmanwhohadaverylargecollection,Ithink80somepieces,offuneraryobjectsinhisdriveway.Hewas
arrested.Urns,angels,vases,youknow,benches,allthesethings.AndInoticedinthearticlethecemeteriesinthearea
weretalkingaboutsortofscramblingtoseewhattheymighthavelost,lookingaroundtoseewhattheyfindmissing,and
alotofthatisgoingtobeinstitutionalmemorybecausetheydontanydocumentationofwhattheycurrentlyhave.
Anotherthingindocumentationwewanttolookatistherecordofexistingissues.Ifyouhavewhatwecallawidow
maker,whichislargesectionsoftreesthatarerottenorhitbylightningorwindstormandhavefallenoutbutarestillsortof
hanginginthebalance,youllseelargesectionsoflimbsortreessortofstillhangingupinthecanopy.Ifyouknowyou
havethese,thesearethesortofthingsthatafterabigwindstormyouneedtogetbackoutcheckagain,sortofproblem
areasthatyoufindwhenyourecordexistingissues.Maybeindoingdocumentationandrecordingexistingissuesyou
mightmakenoteofthingslike,oh,weknowthisareaoverhereispronetoflooding.Thatssomethingthatweneedto
lookatmoreoften.Weneedtocheckbackwithafterfloodingorafteraheavyrainstorm.
Anotherthingthathelpsusdoisithelpsustoestablishpreservationandstabilizationpriorities.Forexample,ifyoulook
atthisphotograph,wehavealowerandanupper.Inthelowerphotographwehave,unfortunately,thisreallynice
Victorianmausoleumthathasalreadysignificantlydeteriorated.Allofourcrenellation,allofourcutstoneslayingonthe
ground.Itsprobablynotgoingtogomuchfurtherrightnowthanitalreadyis.Wevealreadylostalotofthepiecesthat
aregoingtocomeoff.Thisdefinitelyshouldbeapriority.Weneedtobringinapreservationcrew.Weneedtopointthat
rooflinebeforewestarthavingissues.Butwedonthaveactivemovement.Thisissomethingthatssortofinastabilized

stateofdecay.Whereastheupperphotographthatwehave,thisisavery
activeissue.Thisissomethingwehavetheselargeslatepanels,theyre
sliding,theyremovingaway.Inthatwehavealotofwatercomingin.Our
roofisnowcompromised.Wecanseethecemeterythisisinisdoingagood
job,theyrebeingproactive,theyretryingtostabilizethis,theyvegotthe
cautiontapeup,theyrewarningpeoplethatthismausoleumisactively
moving.Theyvegottheirbluetarptryingtokeepwaterout.Butoneofthe
bigissuesthatweneedtothinkaboutisifyouhavesomethinglikethis,ifyou
haveaheavywindstorm,youhavereallyheavyrains,tornado,hurricane,this
issomethingyouneedtogobackoutandcheck.Thisissomethingthatneedstobeontheprioritylistthat.Hey,weneed
togofindoutisthattarpstillinplace.Didourmausoleumfillupwithwater?Ifitdid,canwerelievesomeofthat
pressure,internalpressure,bymaybeopeningadoor,thatsortofthing?Becauseifyoulookbackatthephotograph,we
haveanactiveshiftingfacade.Wehavefourbyfourssortofsupportingthat.Sothisissomethingthatneedstobe
checkedon,andwewouldknowthroughdocumentationthatthisisapreservationandstabilizationpriority.
Sorecordsmanagementandprotection.Thereisawiderangeofcemeteriesoutthere,cemeteryissues,andwhatyou
mighthavevariesverydifferentlyfromwhatthenextpersonmighthave.Somecemeteries,thereprobablyisnorecords
house,theresprobablynorecordsatall.Maybethelocallibraryhasafewthings.Butforthemostpart,recordsarent
partofyourdailyworries.Somecemeterieshaveveryactiverecords,activeburials,maybe100,200yearsworthof
burialrecords,maintenancereports,salesrecords,lotsofpaperworkinvolved.Whatdowedoaboutthis?Theresa
reallywidegambit.Wecandoanythingfromdigitizingourwholecollection,toscanningit,tojusttryingtoprotectwhatwe
alreadyhave.AndIveseenmosteveryissueinthisdealtwith.Ifyouhavethemoney,digitizingyourrecordsisgreat.
Welltalkalittlebitmoreaboutdigitalrecordsinasecond.Mostsitesdonthavethatintheirbudget.Thatsnotapriority
forthem.Financiallytheyretryingtokeepthegatesopen,theyretryingtokeeptheplacemaintained,issueslikewesaw
inthelastslidedealtwith.Sodigitizingtherecordsprobablymightnotbeinthebudget.
SoonethingIveseenisfireproofandwaterproofstoragecabinets,largefile
cabinetsthatarefirerated,thingslikethat.Thesearethingsthatyouneedto
thinkabout.Forexample,onecemeteryIveworkedwith,theyhadintheir
protocolfordisastertheywereinahurricanepronearea.Iftheyknewit
washurricaneseason,therewasanimminenthurricanecoming,whatthey
woulddoispackupalloftheirrecords,sealthefilecabinets.Thenthefile
cabinetsgottransportedtoatrailerthatwasalreadystoredonsite,ready.
Thiswenttoavehicle.Thevehiclethentookittoanothercitysixoreight
hoursinlandwhoalreadyknewaboutthis,theplanwasalreadyworkedout,anditgoesintoaninternalstoragefacility
onceitgetstothatmunicipalgovernmentofficeeighthoursinland.Sotheyhadsortofthoughtaboutthis.Theywerevery
proactive.Hey,ahurricaneiscoming.Certainemployeesknew,Okay,thisismyjob.Theyvecalledmeintoaction.Im
goingtogoup,getthefilecabinets,loadthetraileranddrivetoaprotectedsite.

Sotheresallkindsofthingswecandotoprotectpaperrecordsifyoureinanareathatspronetoflooding,proneto
hurricanes,tornadoes,thatsortofthing.Unfortunately,wedonthavealotofnoticewithtornadoes,butdefinitelyfor
hurricanes.Anotherthingthatwecanthinkof,wetalkedaboutdigitizingyourrecords.Thisisreallygreat.Alotofpeople
aredoingthis.Alotofpeopleareputtingtheirrecordsonline,thingslikethat.Butonethingwehavetothinkaboutis,its
veryimportanttoalsobackuptheserecords,forlotsofreasons.One,justasrecordsdeterioratedigitally,itsreally
importanttohavebackupsandcopies,butalsofordisasters.Ifyouhaveatornadocomethrough,afloodcomethrough,
Ivetalkedtolotsofgroupswhohavesaid,Oh,no,itsgreat,wedigitizedeverything,wehavethembackedupona
server,andbackeduponthisharddrive.Andyougoinandthisiswhatsleftoftherecordshouse.Thisiswhatthe
officeslooklike.Andyousaytothem,Okay,thatsgreat,youbackedituponaharddrive.Whereisthatharddrive?And
theysay,Wedontknow.Wedontevenknowwheretheofficeisatanymore.
HereatNCPTTwhenwedidalotofworkwithKatrina,wetalkedtogroups,talkedtoonecemeterythathadalltheir
recordsdigitized.Theyhadabackupcopyonsite.Andthenthecemeteryscaretakeralsohadabackupcopyathis
house.Unfortunately,hishousewasonlyaboutfivemilesaway.Bothweregone.Sothatsonethingyouneedtothink
about.Alocallybackedupcopymaynotbeasusefulasyoumighthavethought.
Forexample,herewereinahurricane/tornadopronearea.Allofourfiles,allofourserversarebackeduptoCalifornia.
SotheresalotofservicesoutthereontheInternetyoucanfindandthingslikethatwhereyoucanbackuprecordsoff
siteatanareafartherawayfromyou.Sothatssomethingyoumaywanttoconsiderforyourrecordsmanagement.Also
onethingthatwelookatistherearelotsofplansouthere.Dplanisareallygreatone.Dr.StriegeltalkedaboutDPlan
earlier.Ifyoudidntcatchthat,gobackandwatchthatwebinar.
Dplanisanonlinedisasterplanningtoolforculturalandcivicinstitutions,andthisisafreeserviceyoucangoon.Its
reallycomprehensive.Youcangothroughanditwillaskyouallkindofthingslike:Whogetscalledfirst?Whereisthe
watercutofflocated?Whereisthegascutofflocated?Whatdoyoudowithyourrecords?Andnotonlydoesthisgive
youagoodorganizationalchart,italsomakesyouthinkaboutalotofthingsthatyoumightnothavethoughtaboutbefore
inyourofficespaceoratyourinstitutionalspace.SoIrecommendgoingto
dplan.organdcheckingthatoutandsortoflearningthatfrom.
Anotherthingthatwecantalkaboutisstafftraining.Soweregoingtocome
upwithallthesethings.Weregoingtothinkaboutourrecords.Weregoing
tothinkaboutprestormchecklistsandallthat.Thosethingsonlyworkwellif
everyoneknowsaboutitandeveryoneisreadyforit.Sodefinitestafftraining,
inhousetrainingneedstobeahighprioritywhenweretalkingabout
preparingforadisasterresponse.Thesearethingswewanttodowellin
advancebeforethedisasterhits,beforeitsseasonforthedisaster,beforeyoueverhaveanyproblems.Youwantto
knowthatyourstaffisgoingtoknowwhattodowhenithappens.
Wewilltalkmoreaboutspecificdisastersandthingslikethat.Butoneofthethingsthatwealsotalkedaboutisprestorm
checklists.So,forexample,herewetalkabouthurricaneseasonalot,tornadoseason.Itsknowingwhatneedstobe
donewhenitsthattimeofyear.Ifyoureinanareaofthemountainsandyouhavemudslidesintherainyseason,or
whenitsthethawseasonafterwinter,thesearethingsthatyouwanttoknowthatyouhave.Sodoyouhavetools
available?Whattoolsaregoingtobeneeded?Maybeitschainsawsforclearingouttreefall.Maybeitschainsawsfor

clearingtheroadwaystogetintothecemeteryoriginallytostartdoingsomemoreofthework.Doyouhavethose
suppliesonhand?Areyourchainsawsreadytogo?Doyouhavegasforthem?Doyouhaveoilforthem?
Iknowfrompersonalexperience,abouttwoweeksbeforeKatrinahit,andaboutsixmonthsafter,inthestateofLouisiana
youcouldntbuyagascan,period.YoucouldntgettheminTexas,Louisiana,Mississippi,Arkansas.Theyjustdidnt
exist.Soitsmakingsureyouhavethosethingsonhandandready.Aretheygassedup?Hasmaintenanceprotocol
beenfollowed?Iseverythingreadytogo?Andnotonlythat,doeseveryonetherehavethetrainingforit?Doyouhave
peoplethathavethepropertrainingtousethatchainsawordidyouassignoneofyouremployeestocomeinandcutwho
hasneverranachainsaw,whohasnthadthepropertrainingonit?Soallthesearethingsthatneedtobethoughtabout
beforetheactualneedforthem.
Anotherthingasfarasourchecklistiscemeteryinfrastructure.Thisisreallyimportant.Thisissomethingalotofpeople
dontthinkabout,thatsortofgetsoverlooked,butincemeteryinfrastructure,wewanttoknowthatyouknowhowtoturn
thewatermainsoff.Whatifyouhavetreesthatcomeoutandtheyripthewatermainswithit?Whoknowshowtoturn
thoseoff?Isthereamapavailable?Iseveryoneonsitetrainedforthat?
Maybeyouhavegaslinesthatrunintoyourcemetery.Ivebeentoseveral
cemeteriesthathavereallybeautifullampslitatnight,thingslikethat.Ifyou
havetreesthatcomedown,theypullthegaslinesup,doesanyoneknowhow
toturnthoseoff?Dotheyknowwherethemainturnoffsforthoseare?
Ifwelookbackatourphotograph,whatwehavehereisastormdrain.This
stormdrain,believeitornot,isafullfunctionalone.Theresaboutsixinches
ofdebrisbuiltupinfrontofit.Thisisnotwhatwewouldwanttoseeinthe
eventofadisaster.Ifitsthetimeofyearthatyougetheavyrains,thatyougethurricanes,someoneneedstogoaround
andcheckthese.Thatneedstobeoneofthecheckliststhatsomeonegoesaroundandphysicallyinspectsallthestorm
drains.Itsamazinghowmuchacouplepiecesofwoodthathavefallen,agoodbuildupofdebris,isgoingtogreatly
minimizetheusefulnessofthisstormdrain.
Iknow,forexample,IwaswiththeCityofSavannah,DepartmentofCemeteries.Theydoagreatjobofthis.Everyone
hasaveryspecificchecklist.Aboutamonthbeforehurricaneseason,everyonegetsissuedtheirchecklistand,youknow,
Okay,Imgoingtogoandinitialthismap,allofthesestormdrains.Thatsmyjob.Someoneelsehasstormdrainsinthe
nextfewblocks.Andtheneveryoneinitials,theyinspectallofthem,notonlyinthecemeteries,notonlytheculvertsinthe
cemeteriesandthestormdrains,butactuallytheentirecitywidetheylookatbeforehurricaneandbeforetherainyseason
starts,andthenwecantakenote,andwecangoandmakethoseaprioritytofixthose.
Sonotonlystormdrainsbutalsoculverts,watercutoffs,gascutoffs,allimportantinfrastructureissues.Isthereamain
powertothecemetery?Doyouhavelightpostsdown?Doyouknowhowtoturnthepoweroffiftheyredamaged?That
sortofthing.Andalsorundrills,simulations.Maybeonceayearissueeveryonethesechecklists.Makesureyouknow
howtodoit.RunadrillwhereeveryonehastogoinIcanrememberworkingatacemetery,weranadrillwhereoneof
myresponsibilitieswastoputtheboardsmadeforthecaretakershouseoverthewindowsbeforehurricaneseason.In
doingthatdrill,werealizedwhentheboardsweremade,theywerentlabeledandonlyoneboardfiteachwindow.Sothat
tookushourstofigurethatout.Luckily,itwasanice,beautifulday.Wedidntactuallyhaveanemergency.Wewereable
tofigureoutwhichwindowcoveringsboltedoneachwindow.Icantimaginebeinguponascissorliftin20mileanhour

windsatthebeginningofastormtryingtodothis.
Sodrillsareaveryimportantthingthatyouwanttorunmaybeonceayear,
havesomefunwithit.ImpersonallyamemberofagroupcalledAICCert,
theAmericanInstituteforConservationofHistoricandArtisticWorks.Itstheir
culturalemergencyresponseteam.Theyrundrillswherewegothroughand
wepretend,Well,whatwouldhavehappenedifthisareawasflooded?What
wouldwedoifthisareahadgasleaks?Thingslikethat.Solotsofgreatdrills
youcanusetotrainyourstaffonwhattodobeforeitsactuallyneeded.
AnotherthingIwanttomentionis,youknow,whywait?Contactthesegroups
now.YoucanregisteronlineforDisasterAssistance.gov.Youcan
preregister.FEMAactuallyhasagreatpredisastermitigationwebsite.Theyactuallyhavegrantsavailable,allkindsof
onlineaidstolookatmostpeople,wedontthinkaboutFEMAuntilitshappenedandwerewantingmoneytoclean
up.TheresalotofgreatthingsthatFEMAhaspredisaster.
Anotherimportantthingismaybeyoudonthaveaninternalstaff.Maybeitsyou.Maybeyouvegotagardenclubthat
overseesthecemetery.Maybeitspartofacivicorganizationthatyouvetakenoverthecareofthecemetery.Youmay
wanttothinkaboutcallingalandscapedisastercleanupcompany.Ifhurricaneshit,tornadoeshit,fireshit,everyoneis
callingthatdisastercompany.Thatsthetimethattheirphoneisjustringingoffthehook.Youwanttocallthembeforethe
storm,talktothem,workarelationshipupwiththem,havethemcomeout,checkoutwhatkindoftreesyouhave,what
kindofcanopyyouhave,talkwiththemaboutwhatisyourmostimportantissues.Youknow,ifwehaveabigstormthat
comesthrough,wehavetreesdown,wefirstwantyoutoclearouttheroadwaysowecangetinandinspectthestones,
inspectthemausoleums,thatsortofthing.Youknow,buildupaworkingrelationshipwiththesegroupsbeforetheyre
needed.
Also,thelastonthelistisagroupcalledDMORT.Thisissomebodywedontthinkaboutmuch,theydontgetalotof
credit,butDMORTisactuallytheemergencymorguetheemergencymorticiansthatgetcalledoutaspartofFEMA.
Soifyouhavealargedisaster,thisisactuallyamobilemortuarythatcomesandsetsup,andthesearemostlyvolunteers
thataremorticiansfromaroundcountrythatcomeintohelpwithdisasters.Thisisareallyimportantgroupifyouhavea
historiccemetery,andmostimportantlyifyouhaveanactivecemetery.FindoutwhoyourDMORTpeopleareinthearea,
gettoknowthem,talktothem,say,Hey,youknow,Imworriedifwehaveadisasterweregoingtoneedyouguys.Thats
whocomesinandputsthebodiesback,putslooseandmissingcoffins,relocatesthoseforyou,thatsortofthing.So,
veryimportantgroup.Doesntgetalotofnotoriety,butdoanincrediblejob.
Sowevetalkedaboutbeforethestorm.Wevetalkedaboutwhatdowedoto
getreadyforit.Sonowweregoingtomentionwhatdowedoafter.Disaster
hasstruck.Wevehadourdisaster.Whatdowedoaboutit?Whathavewe
alreadyplanned?Whatdidntweplanfor?Andwhatarewegoingtodo?So
whenwetalkaboutdisasters,wecouldhaveflood,wecouldhavewinds,
tornadoes,hurricanes,icedamage.

IknowhereinLouisianawesortofforgetaboutourcolleaguesupnorthandtheincredibleamountofdamagethatice
stormscando.Especiallyincemeteries,youvegotwaterpooledupinplaces.Areallybadicestorm,itsamazinghow
manyobelisksandstatuesjustsliderightoff.Fire.And,ofcourse,manmade.Wesortofthinkaboutdisastersas
mothernaturecominginonus,butdefinitelywewanttotalkalittlebitaboutmanmadedisasters.
Soourdisasterhasstruck.Thisisthetimewewanttotakeadeepbreath.Thedamagehasbeendone.Itsdone.We
cantstopit.Wecantslowitdown.Itsover.Nowitstimetosortoftakeabreath.Rememberwhatwetrainedabout.
Rememberourchecklist.Rememberourtrainingandstartdoingthethingsthatweveplannedon.Sothefirstthingwe
wanttodoiswewanttoidentifyhazards.Dowehavepowerlinesdown?Dowehavesinkholes?Asanyoneknowsthat
worksforacemetery,theresalwaysholesinacemetery.Dowehavenewholesthathaveopenedup?Dowehave
unstablemarkersandtrees?Marktheseareasofuncertainty.Wewanttoputourcautiontapeup.Wewanttoputthe
conesaroundit,becausewedontwantourvolunteerscomingin,ourlandscapedisastercrewcomingin,andthem
findingthatsinkholethatwealreadyfoundearlierorthemlocatingthatvaultthatwascollapsingthatwealreadylocated.
Wewanttomakesurethatwenotifyanyonecominginoftheissuesthatwemighthavefound.
Soafterthedisaster,documentationagain.Wevedevelopedarapidcemeteryassessmentform.Thisisdesignedtosort
ofgoinandfigureoutwhathappened,sortofdocumentsomeofthedamage.YoucanfinditontheURLseenthere.You
canalsofinditonourwebsitebyjustputtingindocumentationorcemeterydocumentation,eitherone.Thereslotsof
tiedwordsthatwilltakeyoutoit.Thismightbesomethingthatyoureinterestedinhavingandfillingout.Theresalsoa
definitionandinstructionsheetthatgoeswiththat.
Sothebiggestthing,themostimportantthingthatwedealwithistreeremoval.Thatsournumberoneissueinahistoric
cemetery.Thehistorictreesarewhatmakeourlandscapeunique.Thatsoneofthethingsthataddscharacterand
beautytoourcemeteries.Welovethetrees.Buttheyalsodoalotofthedamagethatwehave.Sotreeremoval,the
peoplewhoaredoingit,doyouhaveinternalstaff?Havetheybeentrained?Dotheyhavetheequipment?Dothey
knowwhattodo,youknow,howtocuttokeepfromcausingmoredamage.Howtocutthelargerpiecessotheydontfall
ontothestonesthatarealreadythere.Haveyoucontractedwithalandscapedisastercompany?Indoingthat,haveyou
discussedtheimportanceofyoursite?Thisisntsomeonesyard.Thisisntapark.Thisisasculpturegarden.These
areimportantworksofartallaroundusandneedtobeextremelycarefulandcaredfor.Dotheyknowthat?Arethey
insured?Dotheyknowhowtocoverthestonesupwhentheyrecuttingaroundthem?Theressomegreatinformationon
ourwebsitethroughtheOlmstedCenterandthroughourlandscapesprogramabouttreeremovalandcuttingand
protectingthesite.
Alsointhat,donotdiscardanymaterials!Anymaterials!Bagthem,tagthem,
labelthem.Lettheconservatordecidethat.Dontthrowanythingout,evenif
itlookslike,Oh,theresnowayanyonecanusethis.Itsallyouknow,its
bustedup.Itsjusttinylittlepieces.Lettheprofessionalmakethatdecision.
Lettheconservatordecidewhatcanbeusedandwhatcant.
Thisisagreatexample.ThisissomeworkdoneinKentuckybyMonument
ConservationCollaborative.Theyhadanicestormcomethroughthatarea,
tookdownagroupoftrees,anddidimmensedamagetothecemetery.
Luckily,thecemeteryhadtheforesighttokeepeverylittlepart.Andyoucanseehereallthelittlepiecesandpartsthey

labeledandputinstorage,andwhenMonumentConservationCollaborativewasabletocomeinanddothework,they
hadallthesepartstoworkwithintheconservationeffortstorestorethesite.Sothisisoneoftheimportantthingsto
includeintraining.Sortofmentiontoyourstaff,Hey,guys,ifyouredoingthetreecutting,dontthrowanythingout.Make
surewehangontoeverything.
Soprettymuchnowweveonlytalkedaboutnaturaldisasters.Alsowanttotalkaboutmanmadedisasters.Thesecan
betrainedforaswell.Thesecanbepreparedfor.Ifyoureinanareathathasalotofgraffiti,ispronetograffiti,its
somethingevenifyouhaventhadityet,unfortunately,youreprobablygoingtohaveit.Thisissomethingyouneedto
thinkabout.Readup,talktopeople,whatsworkingforthemasfarasgraffitiremoval.
Ipersonallyhavegoneouttodifferentmonumentbuilders,talkedtothem,whatsworkedforthem,butalsoalotof
monumentbuildershavehistoricstonesthattheyvereplacedincemeterieswithnewergranite.Ivegottenhistoricstone
fromthemthatwevemockedupandwevepracticedcleaninggraffiti,sitesIveworkedin.Wepractice.Okay,were
goingtopretendthisareagottagged.Whatarewegoingtodoaboutit?Aretheseproductsgoingtohelpus?What
productsaregood?Whatproductsarent?Andthen,youknow,doalittleexperiment,testaround,seewhatworkswell
foryou.Ifyoufindonethatworkswellforyou,havesomeonhand.
Trainacouplepeopleonhowtodothis.Ifyoudonthaveastaff,maybefindaconservatorinthearea,talktothem.
Becauseinmyopinion,ifyougetgraffiti,ifwehaveourmanmadedisasterhere,wevebeentagged,thisbecomesreally,
reallyimportanttodealwiththisasatoppriority.Andthereasonisweknowstatisticallygraffitiencouragesmoregraffiti,
andwedontwantthat.Wewanttosortofnipthisinthebud,stopthisbeforeitgoestoofar.
Now,youmighthavegraffitilikeinthefirstslidewheresomeoneisjusttagging
theirarea,theyrejusttellingeverybody.Youmayhavegraffitithatisracially,
religiouslyhatemotivated.This,inmyopinion,warrantsalittlebitofa
differenthand.Therestworulesofthought.Usuallywhenthishappens,the
firstthingpeopledoistheycallthelocalnewspaperandtheygetthemoutand
theysay,Oh,mygosh,wevebeenattacked.Thisishorribleandweneedto
telleverybodyaboutit.Anditishorrible.Itstheworstthingitinvadesour
trust.Itleavesusfeelingvulnerable.Itleavesusasthecemeteryandits
conservatorswithanequalamountofhate.
However,thepersonwhodidthiswantedtheirmessagetobeknown.Theyhadanagenda.Theywantedpeopletoknow
howtheyfelt.Indoingthat,youvejustifiedthisperson,youvevalidatedtheiractofvandalismbycallinginthe
newspaper,forthenewspapertorunanad,orthelocalnewscomesdown,theytalkaboutit,andnowinsteadofafew
peoplesawit,yourentirecounty,yourwholeregion,maybenationallyknowswhathappened.Anyonesittingthere
watchingthatwhohasasimilarmessageofhateisthinking,Hey,thatwasaprettygoodidea.Now,ifIdoit,thousandsof
peoplearegoingtoknowaboutit,too,and,boy,mymessagewillgetout.Soinmyopinion,asaconservator,asa
cemeterypreservationist,myopinionis,ifyouhavethissortofvandalism,keepitunderwraps.Coveritup.Tarpit.Put
upplywood.Callinaconservator.Bringinyourtrainedstaffandremovethisimmediately.Andjustbedonewithitand
haveitgone.Imnotabigfanofannouncingit.Ithinkitsortofvalidatestheirvandalism.

Sopriorities.Wecomeinonasite.Wehavethisdamage.Whatdowedoaboutit?Ourtrainingkicksin,butwehaveto
decidewehavetoknowbeforehand,also,whatsourpriority.AlotofpeopleIvetalkedtoovertheyears,theycome
in,theysay,Allright,weneedtostandtheheadstonesup.Thatstoneisntgoinganywhere.Itsdown,itsstayingdown.
Weneedtomakethepriorityclearingthesitesothatwecaninspectallthestones.Weneedtostabilizetheonesthatare
damaged,andmaybethatincludeslayingthemdown.Maybeweneedtolaysomedownthataretiltingorleaningthat
mayfallontheirown.Itsgoingtodoalotlessdamageforyoutogentlylayitdownthantohaveitfallandpotentially
chip,crack,break.Butalsothehumanfactorisitgoingtofallinevitably,itsgoingtofallwhensomeoneisthere.So
wewanttolayitdownbeforewehavetoworryaboutthosesafetyissues.Buttomakethatapriority,figureoutwhathas
tobedonefirst.Dowejustneedtocleartheroadwayssothetruckscancomeinanddothework?Maybethereareno
truckscoming.Maybewejustneedtocleartheareasaroundthestonesthemselvestobeabletodosomework.
Alsoforpriorities,ifwelookatthis,youknow,whoevercametothisdidtherightthing.Itmightbehardtosee,buttheyve
putuptheiryellowcautiontapeallthewayaround.Theysortofblockeditofftowarnpeople,youknow,Westillhave
theselargemarblepanelsthataremoving.Thesearentstabilized.Thesecouldfallatanymoment.Wewanttokeep
peopleawayfromthat.Wewanttocomein,wewanttophotographit,figureoutwhatpieceswehave,startfiguringout
hopefullywehavesomedocumentationofwherethesepanelsgobackandifthesewerefullatonepointornot.Then
startmakingthatapriority,callingDMORT,talkingtothem,talkingtoyourlocalSheriffsDepartmentandsaying,Hey,
wevegotthismausoleum,itwasdamaged.Wehadfloods,highwinds,whatever,andweremissingsomepeople.We
knowwhotheyare.Weknowwheretheywereburied.
Soforstabilizationefforts,alotoftimeswhenwehavealargestorm,maybeitsatornado,maybeitsahurricane,ice
stormsometimes,alotoftimesyoullhaveanotheronerightbehindit.Sooneoftheprioritiesmaybestabilization,just
temporaryemergencystabilizationsuchasthis.Wehavestackedburialvaults.Thetophasbeenblownoff.Wehave
damagedowntheside.Ifwehaveanotherstormrightbehind,whichisfairlycommon,thisisgoingtofillupwithwater.
Thatwaterpressure,thatweightpressureisgoingtobreakthisapartevenfurther.Itsgoingtopushtheotherremaining
sidesout.Soitsimportantyouseethegentlemeninthesepicturesare
comingin,theyretarpingit,theyretryingtokeepmorewateroutofituntil
conservationcanbedone,untilpreservationcanbedoneonit.Butthemost
importantthingisjusttostabilizeittobeginwith.Maybeyouvegotsomelow
vaultsthathavebeenbrokenopen.Wewanttokeepwaterout.
Wealsomentionedalittlebitearlieraboutourmausoleum.Maybeyoure
comingouttoyoursiteandthisiswhatyourefinding.Wehavethesegrave
depressions.Theymostlikelyhadacoffininthembeforeourstorm,before
ourflood,andwevelostthesenow.Thesehavecomeout,theyvefloatedaway.Youvegottocallinhelp.Youneedto
callFEMAorDMORT,localSheriffsDepartment,thingslikethat.Identify,photograph,talktothem.Hopefullyyour
recordsareintactandyoucansortofsay,Okay,weknowwhowasburiedinthisarea,westillhaveourrecords.
AndinthatIconcludetodayswebinarondisasterpreparednessforhistoriccemeteries.
Mycontactinformationisincluded.Feelfreeifyourewatchingthisrecordedtoemailmeifyouhavequestions,
comments.Ifanyoneoutthereneedsadviceorneedshelp,doesntmeannecessarilythatIwouldknowtheanswer,but
Illdomybesttofindthepersonwhodoes.Emailisalwaysbest,butImalwaysveryhappytohelp.

Anycomments,anyquestions,Imvery,veryhappytoanswerthose.So
thankyouforyourtimeandhopefullyyouvegainedsomeinformationinthis
thatwillhelpyoursiteinthefuture.Thankyouagain.

TA GGE D WITH

CemeteriesdisasterplanningDisasterPreparednessDMORT

JasonChurchmanmadedisasters

SH AR E

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One Response to DisasterPreparednessandResponseforHistoricCemeteries

BeckyOrfilasays:
June 19, 2014 at 9:42 AM

Manythanksforpostingthisexcellenttalkonline.Informativeandsohelpfulinitsguidance.
Bestregards,
BeckyOrfila
LiveOakCemeteryAssociationCommittee
PassChristian,MS39571
RE PLY

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