Local Organizations

Disaster Preparation and Response for Local Organizations and Main Streets

Because of the unique and flexible role that local nonprofit organizations and Main Streets play in their communities, they are poised to provide valuable help to businesses, homeowners, building owners, and other impacted groups. Over the years, the National Trust’s Main Street Center has published a variety of articles that can help these organizations as they prepare for and respond to natural disasters. This document is designed to help local nonprofits and Main Street organizations prepare for disasters.

The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training offers a great guide for owners of historic properties to support disaster preparedness.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is a tremendous resource, with specific guidance on historic properties - both pre- and post- disaster.
The Ready.gov business preparedness page is a good resource for small business owners and nonprofits who are just getting started.

Natural and climate-based disasters take many forms, ranging from earthquakes, to floods, to hurricanes. Therefore, depending on which region of the country you live, your disaster mitigation and adaptation considerations will be reflective of your context.

Disaster-specific resources:

All-Hazards

Integrating Historic Property and Cultural Resource Considerations into Hazard Mitigation Planning [FEMA]
Disaster Planning for Florida’s Historic Resources [1000 Friends of Florida]

Flooding

Mitigation Leads to Preservation and Economic Recovery [Wisconsin Emergency Management Division]

Earthquakes

The Seismic Retrofit of Historic Buildings [National Park Service]

Response for Nonprofits and Main Streets:

In the event of a disaster, local nonprofit organizations have the opportunity to provide immense support to both the homeowners and agencies with whom they already interact. While the roles of state and local government agencies are sometimes prescribed in times of disaster, these local organizations have the ability to identify and fill those needs that are highly important but not being met by another actor due to limitations of capacity, mandate, or something as simple as distance. While the greatest response tool local organizations and Main Streets can have is a disaster plan, they may also be able to provide considerable support by improvising solutions that vary by disaster. This section is designed to help Main Streets and local nonprofit organizations understand how they can contribute to disaster response.