Federal Archives prepare for emergencies
After water ingress, flooding or other natural disasters, irretrievable documents from archives are to be secured and rescued more quickly in future. To this end, the Federal Archives have purchased three mobile emergency stations in which damaged collections can first be cleaned of mud and packed, before being frozen and later restored.
"In times when we are increasingly having to deal with extreme weather events, disaster protection is more important than ever," said Michael Hollmann, President of the Federal Archives, on Monday at the presentation of the three units, each of which fits on a trailer. "We must do everything we can to protect cultural assets in the best possible way."
Examples of such emergencies in the past include the Ahr Valley flood, the collapse of the Cologne City Archive and the Elbe flood. According to the Federal Archives, they have helped to rescue collections in each case. The three new trailers are to be stationed in Berlin, Koblenz and Freiburg.
According to the Federal Archives, the purchase cost a total of around 60,000 euros, financed by special funds from the Bundestag. The Federal Archives plan to invest a total of three million euros in the expansion of their disaster protection, for example in greater capacity for freeze-drying.
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"During an emergency, such as the Ahr Valley flood or the collapse of the Cologne City Archive, the primary goal is to quickly rescue and dry the wet, muddy documents to prevent further damage. To enhance their disaster response capabilities, the Federal Archives have allocated a substantial budget, including the purchase of three federal archive mobile emergency stations at around 60,000 euros for cleaning, packaging, and freezing damaged collections."
Source: www.ntv.de
