Join the CNSA’s Disaster Preparedness Working Group!
As some of you may know, the CNSA was given a generous, one-time allotment of funds from the NS Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism, and Heritage to refresh and augment our Disaster Recovery Supply Depots. We are therefore seeking members to join the Disaster Preparedness Working Group (DPWG) to oversee this important and timely project.
Meetings and Project Timeframe:
The lifespan of the DPWG is anticipated to be brief, with the bulk of the work complete by the end of this calendar year and the project wrapped-up by the end of this fiscal year (March 31, 2024).
We would like to have the new supply depots in place by the fall (i.e. hurricane season), so we are anticipating/hoping the DPWG will meet monthly between July and December 2023 via Zoom.*
The DPWG’s responsibilities and (loose) action plan:
The DPWG’s primary roles and responsibilities will be decision-making and oversight of the CNSA’s Disaster Preparedness Project. CNSA staff will execute the DPWG’s plans, including purchasing and distributing kits/supplies, facilitating disaster-planning workshop(s), etc., and report back to the DPWG.
DPWG’s primary objectives:
· Evaluate existing Disaster Recovery Supply Depots – what works and what doesn’t
· Decide on new/improved Disaster Recovery Supply Depots:
o What supplies are needed?
o Where should they be located?
o Loan terms and conditions – who can borrow them and how?
o Kits’ maintenance – who and how?
· Discuss and plan educational opportunities for CNSA members who need/want to develop/update their disaster plans.
DPWG’s secondary objectives (possibly/hopefully in partnership with other members of LAMNS):
· Conduct a jurisdictional scan of supplies in possession of member institutions (eg. shop vacs, chain saws, etc.).
· Assist with developing a list of information and links where members can find information in case of emergencies – eg. names and contact information for conservators, how and where to request generators, etc.
We need you!
We’d like this group to reflect a wide variety of heritage institutions, to ensure that the decisions we make (and the resources we procure) will benefit all/most of our members. We are especially keen to have representation from community museum-archives across the province, but we also want larger organizations (egs. universities, governments, churches, or religious organizations) at the table too.
Want to get involved? Sign up here or contact Sharon: advisor@councilofnsarchives.ca | 902-424-7093 (M-Th, 8:30-4:30, and Fridays, 8:30-1pm)
*If you would like to be part of the DPWG but know that you cannot attend monthly meetings, please contact Sharon to see if there’s a work-around.