North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) will expand its statewide disaster preparedness program. Through a partnership with the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies, the North Carolina Museums Council, and the North Carolina Preservation Consortium, the Cultural Resources Emergency Support Team (CREST) will train up to 200 staff and volunteers from a wide variety of museums in improving disaster preparedness initiatives throughout North Carolina. The CREST project will encourage the formation, development, and maintenance of regional cooperative groups and emergency response networks, as well as provide specialized team training to encourage a unified and safe approach to recovery efforts. Eight regional workshops will be offered as well as specialized workshops with expanded curricula for staff and volunteers of museums to prepare them for disasters with planning and hands-on recovery exercises.