The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Smithsonian Institution co-sponsor the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, a partnership of 62 national service organizations and federal agencies created to protect cultural heritage from the damaging effects of natural disasters and other emergencies. The Task Force provides resources to help the public salvage cherished photographs, letters, and other irreplaceable objects:

Save Your Family Treasures

Fact sheet: Salvaging Water-Damaged Family Valuables and Treasures (fema.gov)

Fact sheet: After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures (fema.gov)

The above two fact sheets are also available in additional languages at Heritage Emergency National Task Force | FEMA.gov.

Please help disseminate this important information before disaster survivors throw their precious, irreplaceable objects away.