Preservation and natural disasters

Historic preservation serves as an integral tool in creating and maintaining a communitys sense of place and connection to its past. During times of disaster, a community needs this bond more than ever. By studying current procedures and emergency management standards and by presenting two case studies, this thesis strives to uncover preservations role during a natural disaster. Through this research, I learned that historic preservation is not well integrated into emergency management legislation or practice at any level of government. I conclude that historic preservation concerns must be integrated into standard emergency management legislation and land use planning to be an effective agent in recovery.