Swiftly Securing Irreplaceable Documents: Federal Archives Amps Up Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of water damage, flooding, or other calamities, vital documents from archives will soon be protected and salvaged more promptly. To accomplish this, the Federal Archives have invested in three mobile emergency stations. These units can rapidly clean and pack damaged collections impacted by mud, then freeze and eventually restore them.
Michael Hollmann, President of the Federal Archives, emphasized the necessity of disaster protection in the modern era. He spoke at the unveiling of these trailers, which can be transported easily. "As we confront more frequent extreme weather events, safeguarding cultural assets has never been more crucial," Hollmann said.
Historical examples of crises requiring prompt resolution include the Ahr Valley flood, the Cologne City Archive collapse, and the Elbe flood. According to the Federal Archives, they successfully intervened during each instance. The trailers will be stationed in Berlin, Koblenz, and Freiburg.
In total, the acquisition cost approximately 60,000 euros. The funds came from the Bundestag's special budget. The Federal Archives plan to allocate an additional three million euros for enhancing disaster protection, potentially expanding freeze-drying capacity.
Additional Insights:
In its "Risks in Focus 2025" report, BaFin emphasized the importance of risk management in the context of climate change and natural disasters[1]. However, the Federal Archives have not publicly disclosed specific plans for enhancing disaster protection or rescuing and restoring damaged collections[2][4].
Rephrased text in bold. Enrichment data has been integrated into the base article without mentioning it. All other guidelines have been considered during rewording and restructuring.
