Public Records Home > Essential Records Program
What Constitutes an Emergency or Disaster?
Emergencies can be small, like a burst pipe within an office or storage area; mid-sized, like a propane tank leak that forces the closure of town hall for multiple days; or large scale, like tornadoes, hurricanes, snowstorms, and power outages that Connecticut may experience. Each one of these events could and has had an impact on public records.
How do Public Agencies Operate During or After an Emergency or Disaster?
Public agencies provide essential services, so they’ll need to continue operating during or after an emergency or disaster. Essential records are critical for the government to resume normal operations in these circumstances.
Essential Records for Emergencies and Disasters
Just like agencies create IT data systems restoration plans and personnel plans for restoring agency operations, they should identify the essential records required to support disaster response and personnel. These records are critical to getting agency operations back to normal.
The loss of essential records or the inability to access them can prevent the recovery of a community in distress. In the event of an emergency, swift restoration of minimal operations is critical.
If you are part of a public agency or department, you can access templates, guidance, and related materials to help you identify and prepare essential records for future disasters or emergencies. If you have any questions, please contact the Public Records Administrator.
