Mississippi Department of Archives and History
http://www.mdah.state.ms.us/
CoSA Hurricane Conference Report
April 2006
h.t. holmes
Director, Mississippi Department of Archives and History
601-576-6854; hholmes@mdah.state.ms.us
Bill Hanna
Director, Local Government Records Office
601-576-6894; bhanna@mdah.state.ms.us
Julia Marks Young
Director, Archives & Library Division
601-576-6991; jyoung@mdah.state.ms.us
1. What two or three disasters have had the most significant impact on archives
and records in your state? Please provide the name of the event, dates, and brief
description of its impact (geographic area, extent and type of damage focusing
especially on damage to archives and records).
A. Flood in Jackson – April 1979
Prior to Katrina, the 1979 Pearl River Easter Flood in Jackson was the most significant
natural disaster affecting archives and records in Mississippi. Businesses and homes
over a wide area had up to 14 feet of backwater floodwater for several days. In the
aftermath of that event, MDAH staff were baptized by mud as they immediately pitched
in to rescue state agency and private records. That experience was the beginning of
MDAH’s program of disaster preparedness and response.
B. Hurricane Frederick – September 12, 1979
Frederick came ashore at Mobile Bay with winds of 125 mph. The Jackson County
courthouse in Pascagoula suffered extensive roof damage and severe water damage to
most county records. Records were treated and dried on site by personnel from the
Department of Archives and History.
C. Hurricane Katrina – August 29, 2005
Katrina came ashore in Hancock County, with sustained winds of 120 mph, a storm
surge in excess of 30 feet, and hurricane-force winds extending outward 120 miles. The
storm maintained its hurricane strength as far north as Jackson (150+ miles inland).
Given the enormous swath of devastation (49 of 82 counties were declared disaster
areas; see map on next page), amazingly the damage to courthouses, state agencies,
and other structures with government records and to cultural institutions with significant
collections was limited primarily to the three Coast counties of Hancock, Harrison, and
Jackson. Jackson County (Pascagoula) and Hancock County (Bay St. Louis) suffered
extensive water damage to county records. Most municipalities on the coast
experienced water damage to records.
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Hancock County: The courthouse in Bay
St. Louis suffered structural damage from
winds and most records in the courthouse
were wet from rainwater. The towns of
Bay Saint Louis and Waveland were
virtually destroyed; the Waveland City Hall
was washed away completely. The Bay
St. Louis City Hall received major damage
from the storm surge (4 feet inside the
building). MDAH staff salvaged the few
remaining volumes of records from both
communities. The volumes from
Waveland survived only because the city
clerk had moved them to a bank vault the
day before the storm hit. The bank was
destroyed with the bank vault the only
surviving part of the structure.
Harrison County: Due to the higher elevation of the courthouses in Gulfport and Biloxi,
Harrison County did not have any damage to records. The town of Pass Christian was
virtually destroyed and lost its city hall; MDAH staff salvaged 27 volumes of minutes
from the vault in the remnants of the building. The town of Gulfport had significant storm
surge flooding in several municipal buildings including the police department. The city
called a disaster recovery firm to recover their records. The most outstanding local
history collection on the Coast, housed within site of the Gulf in the Biloxi Public Library,
suffered extensive water and surge damage; this also was commercially salvaged.
Other cultural institutions in the county with significant collections which suffered
significant damage and/or destruction of buildings and/or collections were Beauvoir, the
last home of Jefferson Davis, and the Presidential Library on the site; the Maritime and
Seafood Industry Museum; the Mississippi Sound Historical Museum; the Ohr O’Keefe
Art Mmuseum; and the Pass Christian Historical Society (which held donated municipal
records). Throughout the fall and on into the spring, MDAH staff worked with these
organizations to assess damage, salvage collections, and seek funding for recovery.
Jackson County: Jackson County received the most damage to records of the three
coastal counties. County offices had outgrown the courthouse and were located in
former retail buildings in downtown Pascagoula. The five foot storm surge in the
downtown area flooded all county offices, the county archives, and county records
center. The strength of the storm surge collapsed the wooden shelving in the records
center and many records were washed away. The county archives was located at a
higher elevation and only experienced a two foot surge. County officials contracted with
a disaster recovery firm. Records that had not gotten wet were temporarily moved to a
warehouse out of state to prevent mold damage. Municipal offices in Jackson County all
experienced limited flooding.
The ten state agencies with offices on the Coast took various, independent means of
preparation and sustained little to total destruction, depending upon their location and
preparation. For example, the Tax Commission initiated a storm shutdown procedure,
had offsite backups of data, and reported no records loss in their 4th floor Biloxi offices.
Likewise, the Gaming Commission reported no damaged records. The Secretary of
State, Division of Public Land office in Gulfport, however, suffered extensive water
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damage. The Division of Medicaid lost at least three buildings and all paper records
therein; staff saved electronic files by removing computer equipment prior to the storm.
The Employment Security Commission field office in Bay St Louis was severely
damaged; staff were unable to recover records from the condemned building, but most
had electronic back-ups. The first floor of the Department of Marine Resources in Biloxi
was swept away, but agency staff were hopeful the Army Corps of Engineers had copies
of many of the most important documents lost.
North of the three coastal counties, there was little reported damage to government
records. In Jackson, the state history museum, also part of MDAH and housed in the
1837 Old Capitol, lost its roof and later suffered major damage from Hurricane Rita.
Staff and collections have been moved out; the museum will be closed for four years
while the building is repaired and renovated. The library at Tougaloo College (Jackson)
also sustained some water damage.
2. What did your state have in place before these events by way of disaster plans
and resources to support response for archives and records?
There was nothing in place prior to 1979. With a heightened awareness after the 1979
flood and Hurricane Frederick, much attention was given to disaster training during the
1980s throughout the state. Several MDAH staff (now primarily in management
positions) participated in this training. There had, however, been little disaster training
in recent years. Many institutions, including MDAH, most public libraries, and many
museums, had disaster plans for their buildings. Strong local government programs in
Harrison and Jackson counties had plans in place that addressed preparedness for
records. Jackson County moved all land records out of the clerk’s office to secure (dry)
storage the day before the storm came ashore. Basically, however, Mississippi and
MDAH were not prepared for Katrina: there was no statewide disaster plan for public
records, no current list of resources statewide, no current list of agencies and
organizations with records/collections, no recovery supplies on hand. MDAH does not
have a conservation lab nor conservation officer on staff. The most valuable asset that
MDAH had in place was a core group of knowledgeable, dedicated, experienced
archivists who had many years of personal contact with and knowledge of the various
institutions and offices, their staffs, and their records and collections.
3. What were the two or three biggest problems encountered by the state
archives, other repositories, and local governments in responding to and
recovering from the disaster?
Lack of Authority and Prior Planning: Although MDAH had been designated
responsibility for the preservation of the state’s vital records in the 1997 emergency
management plan, there had been little if any contact in recent years between MDAH
and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Disasters prior to Katrina
had primarily involved the destruction of property over a relatively small area. There was
no general meltdown, and MDAH had been able to deal with its records recovery
responsibilities within the surviving framework. Because there had been no need for
FEMA or MEMA, cooperative planning for records recovery was a low priority.
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Communications Problems & Lack of Reliable Information: The area-wide meltdown
made previous response and recovery approaches impossible. In the absence of
coordinated planning with MEMA, official disaster communication was impossible. Lack
of appropriate planning made it difficult for local records custodians to know who to call,
as well as difficult for MDAH to know who to call. Often it was impossible to get calls
through, since most communication lines were out except for satellite phones. Damage
assessment was late in coming, and when it did come the information was sometimes
incomplete. Communication with FEMA was confusing, with various people giving
various opinions to an inquiry. We had to make large commitments of resources with no
reliable information about future reimbursement.
Transportation, Logistical, and Access Complications: Initially there was a gas shortage,
roadways were blocked, and entrance to disaster areas was restricted. For 3-4 months
MDAH staff drove 4 hours to the Coast in the early morning hours, worked 8-10 hours,
and drove another 4 hours back to Jackson in the evening. For several intense weeks,
this occurred 7 days a week, often with two or three vans of staff simultaneously going to
different locations on the Coast. There were few if any gas stations or amenities in most
areas. Difficult as it was for MDAH staff to travel, our difficulty was compounded when
we were asked to give guidance to groups of volunteers or to arrange for travel
accommodations for out-of-state visitors. Access to heavily damaged buildings was
delayed: it was six weeks before wet records could be retrieved from the Pass Christian
City Hall; the state departments of Marine Resources, Education, Health, Human
Services, and Public Safety could not assess damage to their offices for four-five weeks;
and it was March before the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum got its collapsed
roof removed and began retrieving administrative records and collections.
No Sustained Training: Since the 1979 Easter Flood, MDAH has provided leadership in
state training for disaster preparedness and recovery. This training has gone through
several cycles since 1979, with the apex representing a state-wide group of
professionals trained to provide volunteer recovery assistance; with the nadir being nary
anyone in the group due to staff retirement, resignation, etc. When we are good, we are
very good; when we are not, we are not. To maintain a good level of response, a
mechanism must be established to provide maintenance of the program. The lead
agency needs a position that can annually audit recovery plans and provide recovery
training on a continuing education basis.
4. What steps has your state taken in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane season
to better prepare your state to respond to emergencies that affect archives and
records?
While very much still working recovery, MDAH has taken several important steps to
better prepare Mississippi for future emergencies:
 Staff have met with MEMA staff and contacted Department of Finance and
Administration staff, so as to position MDAH to fulfill its responsibility for the
state’s vital records. As a comprehensive agency, MDAH is also working with
MEMA to clarify who is responsible for the records and collections of cultural
institutions.
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 Staff have begun developing a statewide disaster plan and network for local
government records, and the collections of archives, libraries and museums.
Conversations have begun with MEMA to garner mitigation funds to support
planning, training, and onsite assessments.
 MDAH is considering as a part of its strategic plan making the recovery of
cultural assets a top agency priority. Funding will be allocated to maintain a firstresponder ability.
 Staff are building statewide databases of information about records custodians
and cultural institutions, which will be web-updatable and available during a
disaster.
 MDAH has joined with the Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Arts
Commission, and the Mississippi Library Commission to form a “cultural alliance,”
to improve communciation, share information and encourage collaborative work,
including a more coordinated response to future emergencies. The alliance has
used some of its Katrina emergency funding from NHPRC and NEH to help
sponsor two statewide meetings:
 Katrina Recovery Workshop for Cultural Institutions (October; Hattiesburg) –
We believe this was the first time individuals from museums, libraries, and
archives had come together for a common purpose; 100+ attended.
 Statewide Emergency Planning for Mississippi’s Cultural Institutions (April,
MDAH) – Representatives of more than 50 museums, libraries (public &
academic), archives, and arts organizations will gather to begin forming
district disaster preparedness and response teams.
 Through the recovery work, MDAH has established new relationships (usually
informal) and strengthened old ones with many professional colleagues,
organizations, and institutions throughout the nation—NARA, NEH, CoSA,
Winterthur, Heritage Preservation, NEDCC, SOLINET, SAA, AASLH, AIC,
FEMA, to name a few. When the next “Katrina” occurs, we’ll be better able to
communicate needs and leverage resources beyond our borders.
 Most MDAH staff and many other information/museum professionals have
attended state and regional workshops on disaster preparedness and recovery.
Throughout the fall, as MDAH assisted institutions and agencies, we deliberately
paired younger staff with more experienced, knowledgeable staff, in order to give
them onsite experience and better preparation to respond to future emergencies.
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