Chapter 4--Disaster Planning/Recovery Even if budget constraints
have prevented many counties from instituting a comprehensive
records management program, the development of a vital records
program can minimize the effects of a calamity (see Chapter 3).
Most disaster recovery efforts are restricted to vital records
because salvage techniques are expensive and time consuming and
are not cost-justifiable for most non-vital records. Recovery
will be enormously simplified if offices institute minimal
preventive measures. During periodic inspections of active files
and records storage facilities, staff should conduct random
examinations of file cabinets and storage boxes for signs of
deterioration. Although there is no absolute guarantee against
destruction from a disaster, a vital records protection program
can be a cost-justifiable way to minimize the effects of a
calamity. The cost of prevention will always be less than the
cost of a salvage operation. See the Appendices for a list of
disaster planning/recovery