The State of Hawai‘i has experienced extreme flooding this past week, causing significant damage to historic communities, neighborhoods and businesses. To support our friends and neighbors affected by this crisis, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation shares expertise from FEMA and other resources on how to salvage family heirlooms and repair historic properties.  Prompt action is key.

After the Flood
1. Secure your property: Your two most important tasks immediately following a hurricane are to ensure the safety and security of people working on site, and to keep valuable or important building fabric from the debris heap. Saving architectural fragments, building materials, decorative plaster, etc. can help with restoration later.

  • Personal safety is always the highest priority when entering buildings damaged by floodwater.
  • Check for structural damage before re-entering your home to avoid being trapped in a building collapse.
  • Keep power off until an electrician has inspected your system for safety.
  • Turn off the gas. Be alert for gas leaks.
  • Look before you step. After a flood, the ground and floors are covered with debris, including broken bottles and nails. Floors and stairs that have been covered with mud can be very slippery.
  • Take photos of any floodwater in your home and of damaged items for insurance purposes. Inventory what was damaged or lost on your property.
  • Call your insurance agent to file a claim and report the damage as soon as possible. Homeowners insurance usually covers losses caused by wind, storms, or broken water pipes, but not surface flooding.
  • Rescue the most valuable items, but never attempt to salvage belongings at the expense of your own safety.
  • Wear long sleeves, sturdy shoes or waterproof boots, and plastic or rubber gloves during cleanup.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and clean water or use a hand-cleaning gel with alcohol in it.
  • Mold can form within 48 hours; you will need to work fast. The goal is to reduce the humidity and temperature around your treasures as you proceed to clean and dry them. If you do encounter extensive mold, use protective gear such as gloves, goggles, and an N100 face mask, available at most hardware stores.

2. Call your insurance company and register with FEMA. File a claim with your insurance company as soon as possible. If your area was included in a national disaster declaration, you’ll then want to register and apply for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Visit https://www.disasterassistance.gov.

3. Call your state historic preservation office (SHPO) and local preservation commission or planning department. Your SHPO can answer questions about your historic property, direct you to the appropriate state and local resources, and help you navigate any confusing processes. If your property is historic, make contact with the local jurisdiction before proceeding with demolition or repairs to parts of the property that may be historically significant.

4. Assess the damage. It usually costs less to repair or renovate a disaster-damaged house than to rebuild. Before gutting your property (or deciding to demolish), contact contractors with proven expertise in historic buildings who can walk through your property with you and help determine the scope of the damage.

5. Compile repair bids. Figure out exactly what needs to be done, write it down, and walk through your house with contractors to get a ballpark estimate. If it sounds reasonable, request an item by item detailed bid. Try to get three bids based on the exact same work. (And remember to verify the contractor’s state license number and insurance.)

7. Investigate financial resources. Your property might qualify for any number of federal, state, and local funding programs, including grants, loans, and historic tax credits.

FEMA Guidance: After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures

When homes are flooded and lives upended, treasured possessions such as family heirlooms, photos, and other keepsakes become more cherished. These valued objects may be saved if untouched by sewage or chemicals. If cherished objects have been in contact with sewage or chemicals, see below under “Call in a Pro.” The Heritage Emergency National Task Force, a coalition of 58 national organizations and federal agencies co-sponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution, offers these basic salvage guidelines. See the links below for downloadable PDFs of two FEMA advisories.

Some Simple Cleaning Tips
Air-Dry: Gentle air -drying is best for all your treasured belongings—indoors, if possible. Hair dryers, irons, ovens, and prolonged exposure to sunlight will do irreversible damage. Increase indoor airflow with fans, open windows, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers.
Handle with Care: Use great caution in handling your heirlooms, which can be especially fragile when wet. Separate damp materials: remove the contents from drawers; take photographs out of damp albums; remove paintings and prints from frames; place paper towels between the pages of wet books.
Clean Gently: Loosen dirt and debris on fragile objects gently with soft brushes and cloths. Avoid rubbing, which can grind in dirt.  If the object is still wet, gently rinse it with clear, clean water. If it is dry, clean off silt and debris with a soft brush or dab it lightly with a damp cloth.

Salvage Photos: Carefully remove wet photographs from plastic/paper enclosures; it may be safer to slit and peel an enclosure away from the photo than pull out the photo itself. Save or copy written names, etc. Wet photographs and negatives that are stuck together should never be pulled apart. Soak them in clean water until they separate, up to 48 hours until you can air dry or freeze them. (Do not freeze glass negatives or plates.) Rinse them in fresh water. Do not touch or blot surfaces. Air dry the photographs by hanging them with clips placed at the edges, or lay them flat, face up, on absorbent paper. Keep photographs from contacting adjacent surfaces or each other. Clean photographs by rinsing them carefully in clean water. Air-dry photos on a plastic screen or paper towel, or by hanging them by the corner with plastic clothespins. Don’t let the image come into contact with other surfaces as it dries.

Framed Art – Paintings: Remove from the frame whether wet or dry, unless stuck to glass. Keep it on the stretcher bars. If still wet, rinse mud and dirt off with a clean sponge and dis-tilled water. If the paint layer is cracking, flaking, or otherwise appears unstable, do not attempt to clean; consult a professional conservator. If stable, gently blot the back of the canvas with a clean, dry towel; avoid distorting the canvas with pressure. Air dry using good circulation in-stead of heat or sunlight. To increase circulation, lay the canvas face up on a horizontal surface with airspace beneath the stretchers. Art/photos/documents behind glass: Remove from frame unless object appears stuck to glass. Air dry slowly, image side up with nothing touching the surface. If object is stuck to glass, leave it in the frame and air dry glass-side down for future scanning or treatment.

Books and Documents
If rinsing is necessary, hold books closed. If leather, cloth, or paper materials are tacky or sticky, place wax paper between them. Pack books, spine side down, in a single layer in sturdy containers. Stack documents so as not to crush them. Place the containers in a freezer, preferably with a frost-free setting and set it to the lowest possible temperature. Expect this drying process to take from several weeks to several months, depending on the freezer temperature and the extent of water damage.

Salvaging advice for fabrics and textiles, wooden furniture, metal objects, and other materials are provided in the FEMA Fact Sheet, Salvaging Water-Damaged Family Valuables and Heirlooms (see Additional Resources below).

Call in a Pro
If a precious item is badly damaged, a conservator may be able to help. Be sure to collect broken pieces. Set your treasure aside in a well-ventilated room until you find professional help. If a precious item has been exposed to contaminated water, seek a conservator’s advice on salvaging it; your health and safety, and that of your loved ones, is of utmost importance. To locate a peer-reviewed conservator, click on the “Find a Conservator” box on the home page of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), www.conservation-us.org. Also, you could contact the conservation/preservation department of a major museum, library, or archives for advice.

Additional Resources

“Flooding risk has long been a major challenge for many historic properties. Changing weather patterns, stronger hurricanes and other extreme weather events, sea level rise, increased nuisance flooding, king tides, and continuing development in flood plains are some of the factors increasing the risk of flooding events, both in terms of their frequency and magnitude. Some historic properties that have never flooded before may now be exposed to this risk, and those that flooded infrequently in the past may experience more instances of flooding or of water reaching higher levels than ever before. The goal of the Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings is to provide information about how to adapt historic buildings to be more resilient to flooding risk in a manner that will preserve their historic character and that will meet The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.”

Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings from the Secretary of the Interior
 https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/rehabilitation/flood-adaptation-guidelines.pdf

Salvage a Historic Property, National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
Resilient Heritage: Protecting Your Historic Home from Natural Disasters

Resiliency and Storm Preparedness for Historic Homes, a series of recorded presentations hosted by Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. Presenters included a structural engineer, historic architect, carpenter, and insurance specialist: https://historichawaii.org/2019/07/26/resiliencyhistorichomes/

KHON2: Flooding recovery continues across Hawaii; what to know about restoring homes, flood insurance

Item-Specific Salvage Steps
A 10-minute video, Water Segment from the Field Guide to Emergency Response from the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation, shows how to rescue soaked photographs, books, documents, and other valued items.

Video, Mud Segment from Field Guide to Emergency Response

A 10-minute video, Mold-Damaged Artwork: DIY Salvage Techniques for Studio Artists from CERF+, demonstrates simple triage and salvage procedures to stop or prevent a mold outbreak on paper, canvas, textiles, and wood.

FEMA Guidance: Help to Restore Family Heirlooms Following a Flood. https://www.fema.gov/news-release/20200220/fact-sheet-help-restore-family-heirlooms-following-flood

FEMA Guidance: Tips on Salvaging Flood-Damaged Family Treasures: https://www.fema.gov/news-release/20200220/tips-salvaging-flood-damaged-family-treasures