FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 17, 2007

Contact: Gerald Newborg

(701) 328-2668

NORTH DAKOTA STATE ARCHIVES TO DEVELOP STATEWIDE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS TRAINING THROUGH FEMA-FUNDED INITIATIVE

BISMARCK – State and local government agencies throughout North Dakota will be better prepared for emergencies, thanks to $2.6 million recently awarded to the national Council of State Archivists (CoSA) by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The funding for the national initiative will enable the State Historical Society of North Dakota to provide critical training and services to state and local government agencies throughout North Dakota.

When state and local governments are faced with natural or manmade disasters, certain records help them respond to and recover from the emergency. The Intergovernmental Preparedness for Essential Records (IPER) project will develop workshops for delivery nationwide designed to teach state and local governments how to identify and protect their most essential records and recover those damaged by disasters. According to Vicki Walch, Executive Director of CoSA, the need for such a program became apparent in 2005 during the organization’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

“Archivists discovered that records were not identified as an asset of government in the National Response Plan,” said Walch. “We knew from experience that whether a disaster is a localized fire or a widespread terrorist attack, the governments that have good records management in place are best prepared to respond to and recover from an emergency.”

David Carmicheal, the Director of the Georgia Archives, who will chair the project’s Advisory Board, cited examples of records used by governments to respond to emergencies: “They immediately turn to documents containing communication plans and delegations of authority. Infrastructure records tell them where the gas mains and electrical lines are and whether bridges and tunnels can withstand the stress of the disaster. All of these help the government respond at the moment of the emergency. And after the disaster,” said Carmicheal, “governments need records to restore the community; deeds and other property records, court records, and historical records help put a community back together again and restore order.”

North Dakota can benefit from this initiative, said North Dakota State Archivist Gerald Newborg. “North Dakotans have experienced a range of natural disasters in recent years, and as a result may be better prepared for floods and other potential catastrophes. Unfortunately, community history may not be seen as one of the casualties of disaster. I look forward to working with my colleagues within the region and throughout the nation to ensure that the records of government so essential to our lives are protected.”

The IPER initiative will develop a national curriculum and create Web-based seminars, which will be customized to meet specific needs and concerns at the state and local levels. A team from North Dakota will add guidance and resources specific to the state and then deliver the training to state and local government agencies statewide. The North Dakota team will be coordinated by the state archives and records management program and include representatives from the Department of Emergency Services, information technology, and local governments. The regional offices of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will actively support this effort.

Outlining the impact the program will have, Rex Wamsley, Director of FEMA’s national Continuity of Operations Division, noted that the “development of common training for use in each of the states will enhance the potential for inter-governmental cooperation throughout the nation. FEMA’s national and regional offices have been working actively with the National Archives and state archives for the last two years to protect essential records. We want to ensure that governments at all levels can recover and resume operations quickly following a natural disaster or other emergency. Records are key to that process. The IPER project will allow us to reach into every county, city, and village nationwide, giving officials the information they need to protect essential records in time of crisis.”

Conley Edwards, state archivist of Virginia and president of the Council of State Archivists, the organization which is leading the project, commented, “We are thrilled by the support received from FEMA’s Competitive Training Grants Program for this project. It will ensure that state and local governments know how to secure records that are essential to protecting life, property, and individual rights as well as those that are necessary to restoring order and resuming essential operations of government following a disaster.”

“The Council of State Archivists would like to thank the National Archives and Records Administration and FEMA’s Continuity of Operations Division,” Edwards added. “Their partnership and commitment contributed significantly to the success of this proposal. In tragedies that have occurred throughout the nation, vital records have been lost or compromised. This training and support will maximize the potential for governments to safeguard our nation’s documentary heritage and, as importantly, ensure that our nation’s identity and that of its citizens will be safeguarded.”

To learn more about the State Archives Division and the State Historical Society of North Dakota, visit its website at www.nd.gov/hist.

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