Disaster Recovery at the University of Alberta, or, Every Flood has a Silver Lining

Abstract

One very cold Canadian morning, Sunday,December 22, 1996, an emergency call went out to staff, students, and volunteers. A flood had occurred in the University of Alberta Clothing and Textiles Collection sometime over the weekend. During renovations to the building, a fitting had broken on a pipe two floors above. Needless to say, significant damage had occurred to the collection, with dirty water pouring from the ceiling into the compactor storage unit. The salvage team worked efficiently, making the salvage operation a success. Clothing and textile artifacts were either bagged and frozen if soaked or allowed to air-dry if only slightly damp. Detailed lists of objects and their locations, as well as photographs of the entire operation, assisted with recovery treatments and insurance claims. Then a review of the damage and plans for the treatment of more than 300 textile artifacts began. Contract and volunteer conservators were hired throughout the course of the flood recovery.Treatment varied from wet-cleaning to spot removal using “suction” and blotting techniques, to altering the pH of the solution to attempt the reversal of dye transfer. Successful techniques were discovered for the spot removal of tide lines, particularly on water-sensitive objects. We found ourselves having to treat soaked textile and clothing artifacts that normally would not be wet-cleaned. The results of these treatments were often successful.The flood-damaged clothing and textiles provided numerous challenges throughout the salvage operation and recovery, wherein positive solutions were found. In the end, the flood afforded many people with employment, experience, and a platform for the sharing of knowledge and techniques.