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DISASTER ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE <br /> Throughout our state's history,county and municipal records have been vulnerable to man-made and natural disasters. <br /> Even with modern facilities and improved security and protective measures,public records are still susceptible to fire <br /> and water damage,and several disasters involving public records have occurred in this state during recent years. One of <br /> the most common forms of disaster has been a fire(usually at night or during a weekend). In those instances,valuable <br /> and often irreplaceable records that escaped the flames were ruined by water and mud resulting from fire fighting. In <br /> most cases,records that were irreparably damaged might have been saved if state and local officials had known what to <br /> do with damaged records and acted promptly. <br /> In order to help state,county,and municipal agencies cope with fires,floods,and other disasters involving records,the <br /> North Carolina Division of Historical Resources has formed a Disaster Response Team. Upon request,members of this <br /> team will advise local officials on the retrieval of damaged records. When possible,they will also provide further <br /> assistance upon request. <br /> WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WHEN A DISASTER OCCURS?The first and most important step to take is to <br /> secure the area containing the damaged records as soon as possible. Until fire fighters or other safety personnel confirm <br /> the safety of the area,no one should enter the facility.Then notify the Division of Historical Resources at(919) 807- <br /> 7350 immediately. [During nights or weekends,call your local emergency management office.] In the case of water- <br /> damaged records,the first step is to ventilate the area as much as possible to minimize the growth of mold and facilitate <br /> later records-salvage efforts. <br /> Finally,and most important—NO ONE SHOULD REMOVE OR ATTEMPT TO CLEAN RECORDS. <br /> Damaged records are fragile,and attempts to move or clean them may cause unnecessary destruction. Only trained <br /> personnel should direct the recovery of the damaged records. <br /> Information about disaster response is available on the Division of Historical Resources'Internet Web site at: <br /> http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us <br /> vii <br />