10.1 Rehabilitation

Before rehabilitating the records back to storage:

• ensure that the building is secure and fit for purpose
• clean shelving and surfaces well enough to remove any mould spores, be aware that the remediation of mould contamination is a specialised area - it may require the expertise of external service providers
  • if your disaster involved water it is also advisable to clean walls and ceilings to prevent mould growth.
  • if there has been a fire it is advisable to clean air-conditioning ducts
• stabilise the environment by bringing the building's temperature and relative humidity within acceptable limits, and being able to maintain those conditions (humidity is the key factor, as mould will grow even in low temperatures where the relative humidity is above 65%), and
• replace used supplies in disaster store and disaster bins.

Records can then be moved back into storage. Swelling of items might mean that they take up more space than before, these records should not be compressed by force, you will need to find additional space.

Remember to document the new locations to ensure the locations of priority records are known in case of a future disaster.

10.2 Monitoring

Additional monitoring is required after a disaster. Affected areas and records should be checked regularly for signs of continuing problems.

Moisture takes considerable time to evaporate. Records might appear dry on the surface but still have a significant moisture content. Therefore, water damaged records (containers and contents) need to be checked often to ensure that mould growth, rust and corrosion does not become an issue.

If water was involved it is recommended that additional monitoring takes place over the next 12 months to ensure that all moisture has escaped the building (concrete in particular can withhold water for up to a year). After such time regular monitoring activities can be resumed.