Aftermath of an Emergency: Applying lessons learned from ensuring Continuity of Operations towards preparing for disaster Panelists: Rusty Heckaman & Rebecca Halbmaier
On the evening of December 10, 2021, a storm brewing across the Western region of Kentucky produced an EF4 tornado that tore through Graves County. The swath of damage and destruction left in its wake was devastating. Lives were lost, and homes, businesses, churches, and historical landmarks were destroyed. Among those buildings struck was the Graves County Courthouse, which had been damaged beyond repair. County Courthouses serve vital functions for their communities, acting as the authority for issuing and registering records like those for marriage, property, and voter rolls, as well as administering elections and taxes. While serving the contemporary needs of the public, they are also a repository for the records of their community’s past. Efforts to maintain these records are supported by the Local Records Branch of KDLA in the form of regional administrators who consult local officials on matters of records retention and preservation.
In the aftermath of the disaster, court personnel worked closely with state colleagues to ascertain the scope of the damage to the courthouse and the records stored within. Exposure to the elements threatened the integrity of large amounts of records and required personnel to act quickly to save them. The services of a recovery company were acquired and refrigerated trucks were used to transport the material to storage until further action could be taken.
A month after the tornado struck the Graves County court resumed operations in a temporary space. Essential records needed for the continuity of their operations were in storage as salvage efforts continued. Land records proved to be in especially high demand as residents sought records to provide insurers for claims to their properties. Access copies created by the Local Records branch of KDLA were made available through the efforts of the staff of the State Archives. Staff fulfilled over 430 requests and provided over 1,000 copies of deeds to the clerks. Electronic Records personnel undertook a project to digitize deed records so that clerks might have access to them without the continued assistance of archives staff. Further assistance was provided through the indexing of Circuit Court Cases from 1978 to 1985 to accommodate access to case files in the loss of local indexes.
Applying the lessons learned from this case to better preparation for disaster could better ensure an organization’s readiness to respond and maintain its operations in its wake.
