Prepare Your Collection for Hurricane Season
The following information and resources are intended to help you reduce risk to your collections well in advance of a hurricane or windstorm.
Invest in a generator and ensure home systems are functioning properly.
Consider investing in a permanently installed generator to avoid power outages caused by storms and have any important system in your home (like your generator, HVAC, security and wine cellar systems) serviced in advance of hurricane season to ensure they are working properly and efficiently. These systems help maintain proper environmental and security conditions for your collection during a storm.
Ensure vendor information is current.
Confirm that all collection vendor contracts are current and that vendor contact information is up to date. If necessary, negotiate new contracts for emergency services for art, automobile or wine evacuation and storage.
Consider an art crate for emergency storage and removal.
A prefabricated art crate can be used in an emergency to remove and protect high-value and fragile works. Haven can connect you to vendors who are available to build crates, which typically take 2 weeks to construct following a site visit to assess the pieces within your collection. Haven recommends having crates built prior to hurricane season and stored in a dry location.
Ensure collection inventory is up to date.
Confirm that your collection inventory for art, antiques, wine, jewelry, and other collectables is up to date, including the addition of recent purchases, accurate valuations, object locations and insurance coverage information. If you do not have a photographic inventory, Haven recommends taking photos of your home and pieces, as well as scanning or photographing important collection documents, including invoices and authenticity certificates, and storing them in two separate, secure and elevated locations. Also consider professionally scanning any irreplaceable family photographs, scrapbooks or memorabilia.
Evaluate the current condition of your collection.
Review your collection to confirm the current condition of your pieces. Make sure there is no salt accumulation, rust, mold, or other issues, and confirm that any hardware used to mount pieces is secure and in good condition. Take photos of any condition issues that you see.
Address outdoor sculptures.
During a hurricane, flying debris, sand and other airborne particles can cause significant damage to outdoor sculptures. Move lightweight sculptures indoors and ensure a protection plan is in place for other sculptures that cannot be easily moved.
Enlist the help of a storage facility.
A storage facility will provide you with a secure, climate controlled location to store your outdoor sculptures and other valuable collections during hurricane season. Haven has partnered with several storage facilities throughout the country who have been vetted to ensure they meet PURE’s standard for quality and service. Click here [link out to list of vetted storage facilities] to learn more about some of their partners or contact Haven directly to find a vetted storage facility in your area.
Develop an emergency response plan.
An emergency response plan includes personalized advice for protecting your collection in the event of a hurricane or another major storm. It includes steps to take before the storm hits, vendors to contact in the event of an emergency and protocols for evacuating your collection. Establish an emergency response plan and ensure your insurance broker and PURE are aware of the plan.
For more information or for assistance with protecting your collection in advance of a hurricane, contact The Haven Art Group at 312.376.8115 or [email protected].