AC 47.2023

Date: August 30, 2023

Memorandum to Federal Records Management Contacts: Responding to Hurricane Idalia

Idalia made landfall along the coast of Florida's Big Bend near Keaton Beach around 7:45 a.m. ET.  Flooding and high winds are now the primary concerns as the storm passes through Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina over the next two days. This link provides more information on the U.S. government response to Idalia.

We are providing the following information to help prepare Federal agencies and records personnel that may have to deal with the effects of such storms. NARA also has posted emergency records information and other useful guidance to pass along to agency personnel.

For advice and assistance on preparing for hurricanes and records recovery operations after the end of a storm, please refer to the preservation section of our website. Here, you will find a section on preparation, and several sections about what to do if you have records that have suffered damage.

Depending on the damage caused by storms, it may be necessary for your agency to implement a records recovery operation. Water damage will likely be the major records recovery issue. Our web page also includes a template (.pdf) for contracting for records recovery services. Contact Preservation Programs staff listed in the preservation section of our website for any questions regarding records salvage and recovery vendors.

For advice on records recovery issues, please contact Preservation Programs at preservation@nara.gov. Preservation staff monitor the email address and will respond accordingly.

For advice and assistance on other records management issues arising from the storm, including the need for emergency destruction of irreparably damaged records under 36 CFR 1229.10 or the loss of records under 36 CFR 1230.14, please contact the appraisal archivist assigned to your agency. Please see this list of agency staff assignments with NARA points of contact.

For advice and assistance on issues concerning classified national security information, please contact the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) at 202-357-5250 or via email at ISOO@nara.gov.

If you have any questions or comments, please email us at rm.communications@nara.gov.

LAURENCE BREWER   
Chief Records Officer 
for the U.S. Government