(Atlanta) - Secretary of State Karen Handel announced today that state and local government agencies across the nation will be better prepared for emergencies thanks to a project overseen by the Georgia Archives. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $2.6 million to the national Council of State Archivists (CoSA) for a project to be housed and directed from Georgia's state archives. The funding for the national initiative will provide critical training and services to state and local government agencies throughout the country.

Handel said, "Georgia is prone to many types of disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wildfires. Any one of these threatens lives and can destroy the history of a community. This project will help ensure that the records of government so essential to our lives are protected. We're proud to help our entire nation become better prepared for emergencies."

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, cites 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."

Carmicheal added, "And after the disaster, 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."

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 each state will add guidance and resources specific to their state and then deliver the training to state and local government agencies statewide. The Georgia team will be coordinated by the state archives and records management program and will invite representation from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, the Georgia Technology Authority, and local governments. The regional offices of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Atlanta will actively support this effort.

Americus after tornado. Both images (below) by FEMA, Mark Wolfe.