Guidelines for Writing a Disaster Management Plan

Over the years, the importance of cultural heritage & cultural institutions has been established and the need for their preservation identified. There have been multiple initiatives by institutions, organizations, NGO’s, etc. in order to develop heritage preservation management. They often tend to overlook the disaster responsive aspect of it which can be attributed to budget constraints or inadequate awareness. Recently, the significance of risk management guidelines has been acknowledged and international and national organizations have developed guidelines to help formulate disaster management plan for cultural heritage & cultural institutions. In the light of the recent climate change and the increasing risk of man-made and natural hazards, the need for disaster risk management guidelines for State Museums has been recognized by the Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Maharashtra. This research deals with developing protocols that can be implemented before, during emergency situations and post-disaster management for the State Museums after a brief analysis of the Museum located in Kolhapur city. It involves dealing with aspects like identifying probable hazards, assessing the vulnerabilities and preparing a set of guidelines undertaken by the authorities during natural or human induced disasters. To view a five-minute elevator pitch of this thesis' research idea, please click on the link displayed