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Houston’s museums prepare for hurricane season

Olivia Flores Alvarez had an entertaining blog post about how museums in the Houston area are preparing for hurricane season that’s worth a read. Available here, the article takes a lighter approach to the issue of tropical storm preparation for buildings in the Gulf Coast region that house priceless works of art.

An excerpt

Hurricane Ike, which pretty much shut Houston down for a couple of weeks, didn’t affect the Aurora Picture Show’s programming schedule last year. “We continued with the screening we had planned,” says Tepper. “The city was still a wreck and the turnout was extremely modest, but we went ahead. We actually served Hurricanes, the drink, during the show. A lot of people still weren’t driving after the storm, so it was just people from the area. Everyone came over; we had air-conditioning and Hurricanes. It actually was a fun, little community event.”

Once a storm is imminent, the museum staff, board members and volunteers all pitch in to secure the art and office equipment. Curators fill sandbags, board members and volunteers cover storage racks with protective sheeting. “Planning in advance has been a big part of our success,” says AMSET public relations coordinator Melissa Tilley. “Up until it’s time to evacuate, we’re working on securing the museum.”

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