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Historic properties are just as vulnerable to natural disasters as homes and commercial buildings. In addition to detailed artisanship, historic properties often store invaluable documents and art with cultural significances that may be irreplaceable if the building experiences a flood, fire or structural failure. By having a disaster plan and working with a General Services Administration-, or GSA-, certified contractor, you can salvage damaged items and minimize cultural and financial losses.

The University of Wisconsin-Superior was a mess last June. After 8 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period, the city’s storm water system was inundated and therefore unable to prevent water from rushing into basements all over town. The university’s basement was flooded with almost 9 feet of water! Librarians at UWS were horrified to find more than 133,000 flood damaged books. The following is a look at how libraries can avoid this dreadful situation, as well as how damaged books may be restored.

Time is not on your side after a water disaster. The longer you wait to start the restoration process the greater the chance the process won’t be as effective as you’d like. You also risk incurring a great deal of mold damage by waiting too long. Because time is such a key factor after a water-related disaster, it is a good idea to have an emergency plan already in place before disaster strikes. Some document recovery and water damage restoration companies can even install air dry distribution areas on-site, a great idea for businesses that deal with a lot of important hard copy information.