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103 <br /> DISASTER ASSISTANCE <br /> Q. What should 1 do in case of fire or flood? <br /> A. Secure the area, and keep everyone out until fire or other safety professionals allow entry. <br /> Then, call our Raleigh office at (919)814-6903 for the Head of the Government Records Section <br /> or(919) 814-6849 for the Head of the Collections Management Branch. If you're in the western <br /> part of the state, call our Asheville Office at(828) 250-3103. On nights and weekends, call your <br /> local emergency management office. <br /> DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MOVE OR CLEAN ANY RECORDS. <br /> Damaged records are extremely fragile and require careful handling. Our staff are trained in <br /> preliminary recovery techniques, documenting damage to your records, and authorizing <br /> destruction of damaged records. Professional vendors can handle larger disasters. <br /> Q. What help do you give in case of an emergency? <br /> A. We will do everything we can to visit you at the earliest opportunity in order to provide hands- <br /> on assistance. We can assist you in appraising the records that have been damaged so that <br /> precious resources(and especially time) are not spent on records with lesser value. We can <br /> provide lists of professional recovery vendors that you can contact to preserve your essential <br /> and permanent records. <br /> Q. What can I do to prepare for an emergency? <br /> A. We provide training on disaster preparation that includes a discussion of the roles of proper <br /> inventories, staff training, and advance contracts with recovery vendors. If you would like to <br /> have this workshop presented, call a Records Management Analyst. <br /> Q. What are essential records? <br /> A. Essential records are records that are necessary for continuity of operations in the event of a <br /> disaster. There are two common categories of records that are considered essential: <br /> • Emergency operating records—including emergency plans and directives, <br /> orders of succession, delegations of authority, staffing assignments, <br /> selected program records needed to continue the most critical agency <br /> operations, as well as related policy or procedural records. <br /> • Legal and financial rights records—these protect the legal and financial <br /> rights of the Government and of the individuals directly affected by its <br /> activities. Examples include accounts receivable records, Social Security <br /> records, payroll records, retirement records, and insurance records. These <br /> records were formerly defined as "rights-and-interests" records. <br /> Essential records should be stored in safe, secure locations as well as <br /> duplicated and stored off-site, if possible. <br /> A-17 <br /> I <br />