Dr. Martin Perschler, a Cultural Heritage Preservation Specialist with the U.S. State Department, spoke this morning about the role of the United States government in helping to preserve international cultural heritage. I learned that the U.S. provides monetary aid and both professional and technical help and facilitates the exchange of ideas between our cultural heritage professionals and those from other participatory countries.

As a current disaster response volunteer and former temporary contracted employee of the NGO Team Rubicon, I had multiple questions when Dr. Perschler brought up the topic of emergency response to disasters that negatively impacted cultural heritage sites. I wondered if there are any NGOs or Nonprofits that specialize in this kind of response that are pre-vetted according to capability by the United States for those kinds of situations. If so, what was the process by which they gained approval? He stated that from his experience, there is no formal vetting process. They first look to the professionals they know are in the vicinity of the incident who have the technical capacity to help with the situation and then form a plan according to the expressed need.

While I can appreciate the flexibility that this type of approach provides as situations on the ground in disaster areas are fluid, it left me with many concerns from my experience in the field. I know that too much flexibility in response plans creates problems such as increased response times, lag in the delivery of logistical support, and other inadequacies. There is a heightened risk of miscommunication between responders. That issue can lead to “scope creep” that hampers the immediate efforts and can undermine the effectiveness of long-term recovery objectives as minor problems can become larger ones due to not receiving early remediation.

I was happy to learn that $500,000 is allocated by Congress for cultural heritage disaster response; I think the best remedy for my concerns would be for cultural heritage professionals to form their own response organizations. Professionals who have already responded to disasters, where environments and living conditions can be austere, would be essential for this endeavor. They have first-hand knowledge of what challenges will be faced and what tools will be needed. Then in cohort with government specialists such as Dr. Martin Perschler, a baseline can be made that establishes minimum readiness qualifications. Such qualifications would include points of contact, safety protocols, designated logistical support individuals, and an up-to-date shortlist of professionals who have expressed a willingness to deploy that is organized by skill set.