Kentucky Derby Museum re-opens

Using a disaster as an opportunity to renovate, the Kentucky Derby Museum opens its doors after experiencing $5.5 million in water damage. Flash floods that devastated the Louisville area caused the museum to close its doors on August 4, 2009 as its basement and main floor were under water.

Extensive Water Damage

WLKY.com reports (emphasis added):

“…Staffers had to wade knee-deep in water to save museum artifacts.

“Staff workers said they used emergency lighting to lift artifacts out of flood water and stacked them in any dry area they could find.

“Despite the efforts, more than 2,000 items from the collections and archives were lost due to significant water damage.

“At the museum, a video exhibit now shows the devastation of the flood as it was happening.”

Document and Book Drying

Unfortunately, wet documents and wet books were lost in the Kentucky Derby Museum’s flood remediation process. The museum’s websites states: “… These items include photographs, historic newspaper clippings, race meet programs, racing forms, chart books and other historical records.” The areas of the museum devastated by the floodwaters were renovated and new exhibits are in their place.

The causes of the failed document drying or book drying are not specifically mentioned on the Kentucky Derby Museum’s website. However, there are proven techniques that will dry wet documents and books even after they have experienced significant water damage.

Get Questions about Document Drying Answered

No business is immune to water damage, whether it is from a flood or due to a leaky pipe. If you are in the Boston area this week, visit the Polygon booth (# 2251) at the RIMS Conference from April 25-29, 2010 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The Polygon team will be there to answer your questions about the document-drying process and help get businesses set up with preventative measures in the case of a disaster.