Disaster Planning Project

FAIN: PG-50439-08

Hull Lifesaving Museum (Hull, MA 02045-0221)
Victoria Catherine Stevens (Project Director: May 2007 to December 2009)

Consultation with preservation specialists on the preparation of a disaster preparedness and response plan and purchase of emergency supplies to protect rare books, photographs, and artifacts documenting the history of maritime lifesaving in America. The museum's historic structure and location make it especially vulnerable to coastal flooding and storms.

The Hull Lifesaving Museum requests $5,000 to prepare a comprehensive and site specific disaster plan. The museum is located in the 1889 Point Allerton Lifesaving Station at the mouth of Boston Harbor. Our collection encompasses a broad range of materials, including rare books, photographs, a fresnel lighthouse lens, wooden surfboat, cloth, wood, and metal artifacts. Our exposed location and historic structure require special consideration in creating a disaster plan that anticipates the possibility of coastal flooding as well as wind damage and roof leaks from severe coastal storms. In preparing our disaster plan the HLM staff will work closely with consultants from the Northeast Document Conservation Center. Funding for the project will allow the NEDCC staff to conduct three onsite workshops to help HLM staff identify risks and prepare appropriate safeguards. Additionally, we will purchase supplies to help prevent damage and respond to disasters quickly and effectively.