State and local government agencies throughout the United States will be better prepared to protect essential records during emergencies thanks to funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The agency awarded $2.6 million to the national Council of State Archivists (CoSA) to lead the new national initiative. It will provide critical training and services to state and local government agencies in every state, the District of Columbia, and the territories. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and its state members will be actively involved in developing and delivering the training.

The state archives and records management program will coordinate each state's team. Other team members will include the state chief information officer and representatives from the state emergency management agency and local governments. The regional offices of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will actively support this effort.

When state and local governments are faced with natural or manmade disasters, certain records help them respond to and recover from the emergency. The Intergovernmental Preparedness for Essential Records (IPER) project will develop workshops for delivery nationwide designed to teach state and local governments how to identify and protect their most essential records and recover those damaged by disasters.

NASCIO will also be represented on the project's advisory board, which will oversee the project to ensure that the training program meets the needs of all state and local government officials. Other organizations represented on the board include ARMA International, the International City/County Management Association, the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, the National Association of Counties, the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, the National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Emergency Management Association, and the National Governors Association.

According to Vicki Walch, executive director of CoSA, the need for such a program became apparent in 2005 during the organization's response to Hurricane Katrina. "Archivists discovered that records were not identified as an asset of government in the National Response Plan," said Walch. "We knew from experience that whether a disaster is a localized fire or a widespread terrorist attack, the governments with good records management programs in place are best prepared to respond to and recover from an emergency."

"Disaster recovery and business continuity are high priorities on the State CIO agenda" said Doug Robinson, executive director of NASCIO. "We have come to understand that records management, both paper and digital, is an important element of restoring government information technology services after a disaster. NASCIO is pleased to be an associated with this project and contribute to its success."

David Carmicheal, the director of The Georgia Archives who will chair the project's Advisory Board, cites examples of records used by governments to respond to emergencies: "At crucial time's states, cities, and counties immediately turn to documents containing communication plans and delegations of authority. Infrastructure records tell them where the gas mains and electrical lines are and whether bridges and tunnels can withstand the stress of the disaster. All of these help the government respond at the moment of the emergency," Carmicheal observed. "After the disaster, governments need records to restore the community. Deeds and other property records, court records, and historical records help put a community back together again and restore order."

The IPER initiative will develop a national curriculum and create Web-based seminars, which will be customized to meet specific needs and concerns at the state and local levels. Teams from each state will add guidance and resources that incorporate its own specific regulations and reflect the kinds of disasters most common in the region, then deliver the training to state and local government agencies statewide.

Rex Wamsley is director of FEMA's national Continuity of