TEXAS: 2017 Hurricane Harvey

In 2017, when Hurricane Harvey brought catastrophic flooding to Houston and southeast Texas, the Smithsonian joined with FEMA to set up Save Your Family Treasures (SYFT) demonstrations at Disaster Recovery Centers. Smithsonian staff provided advice to disaster survivors who wanted to save their family photographs, documents, books, artworks, and other treasured belongings damaged by the flood. Smithsonian staff developed easy to follow methods for preservation, using supplies easily obtainable at grocery or hardware stores.

Since then, the Smithsonian has offered Save Your Family Treasures (SYFT) workshops to the public in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Texas, South Carolina, Florida, and Nebraska following natural disasters.