Sicherheit und Katastrophenschutz für Museen, Archive

In this context, I would like to express from the bottom of my heart my
thanks for the extremely generous financial and material aid that came from
the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. It helped, among others, to
save and restore an extremely valuable archive of architectural drawings and
plans which was in the care of the National Technical Museum in Prague.
After this very brief characterisation of the situation, I shall now venture to
offer some conclusions and generalisations derived from our experience.
First of all we must realise and acknowledge the fact that such floods are
going to happen over and over again in the future. We must be much better
prepared for this. The terrible losses caused by the last flood could have
been much reduced, had there not been such striking human failure.
• No factories or storage facilities producing or storing oils and chemicals
should be located in inundation zones (a strong opposition lobbying
against this idea is already in action); to date no large chemical plant has
yet been resited at a safer location.
• Valuable objects, equipment or goods should not be stored in houses
threatened by floods. All items of cultural value must be transferred out
of inundation zones (this principle has already been partly fulfilled by
the state museums and archives).
• Stone or brick-built historic buildings can withstand high water without
serious consequences. Such buildings require practically no special
protective interventions. It is better to let water flow freely in and out of
them than to mutilate them with protective walls. One very wise measure
proved to be that taken by the Hilton Hotel, which flooded its basement
with clean water, thus avoiding it being filled the with dirt and mud.
• It is not good to rely only on protective walls or mobile barriers. Water
finds its way into the buildings behind them in the form of a
’subterranean river‘ of subsoil water, and penetrates through drains,
sewers, and other man-made channels. In my opinion, good risk
preparedness programmes and individual well-prepared and practised
evacuation plans are more effective than barriers against water whose
function may cause very bad side- effects (water penetrating from drains
and sewers can form lagoons that are difficult to empty).
• Flood water is heavily contaminated; strict hygiene rules must be
followed during all rescue operations.
• The reduction of subsoil water levels after a flood is a slow process.
It cannot be speeded up. Premature pumping of water from cellars can
result in cracks and other structural problems.
• The drying out of wet masonry is also a slow process. It is possible
to accelerate this by carefully chosen means (heating, ventilation,
dehumidifiers). In the case of murals, stucco decorations and
other artistic elements, the assistance of specialists is an absolutely
necessity. Experience has proved that stripping out lime plaster has no
accelerating effect, and brings benefit only to building contractors. On the
other hand, it is highly advisable to strip out all cement plaster, oil-based
paints and other vapour-proof materials from the walls. The same applies
to materials used on floors.
• High humidity supports the growth of all kinds of mould and rot. It is
advisable to dismantle and remove all wooden elements from flooded
rooms, and to let them dry and be specially treated in a separate place.
If treated in time, these elements can be later be reinstated, and can
continue to serve their purpose without any problems.
• The post-flood condition of culturally valuable buildings and objects, and
all subsequent rescue operations, should be carefully documented
(photographs, sketches etc.).
Floods generate emotions, hysteria and unpredictable reactions, not only
on the part of their victims but also among the population as a whole.
People tend to take unreasonable decisions, make non-objective judgements.
In particular, those who are objectively to blame soon start to look for
scapegoats. Conservators are among the first to be unjustly accused.
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