Something many don’t consider until it is too late is taking measures to safeguard your personal collection of art and heirlooms against future storms. Whether for casual collectors or those who have had valuable pieces handed down to them, there are some straightforward strategies and trained professionals to help you ensure the pieces you hold dear survive the next devastating storm or hurricane.
EXPERT ADVICE
Ashley Burke of Burke & Co. has worked for nearly two decades as a fine art consultant, documenting, appraising and helping to preserve valuable art collections at major museums and institutions. Her past clients include the Ringling Museum of Art; Tampa Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg; The James Museum; St. Petersburg College; St. Petersburg Museum of History; and the City of St. Petersburg. Burke is accredited by the Appraisers Association of America.
“Last year, after the storms, I received a number of calls from art galleries, businesses and homeowners who experienced damage to their collections,” she recalls. “I realized this (major back-to-back hurricanes) is something big we have never dealt with before. I thought, ‘What can I do to help before a storm?
“I worked in museums for 20 years and I implemented emergency plans for hurricanes. I had this experience as my role has always been management of emergency preparedness plans starting before the storm,” she continues. “I had been doing this for years and hadn’t really been thinking about it in terms of homeowners. Then, after last year’s storms, I realized this expertise is something that’s really needed.”
Burke knew she could help homeowners with evaluation, appraisal, storage and preservation. Her services include developing tailored emergency response plans, documenting and cataloging collections and recommending onsite or offsite storage options. She also can recommend when and how to involve professionals such as appraisers, conservators or art handlers, especially for high-value or high-risk works like outdoor sculpture, paper-based items or antique furniture.
“Some people have extensive fine art collections, but others may just have a few family heirlooms. Planning ahead is what I am trying to encourage,” she urges. “Talk to your insurance company ahead of impending storms. Antiques, art and jewelry are generally not covered by homeowners’ insurance. You may need to purchase a rider.”
She offers a list of resources such as a five-day hurricane plan that can be catered to an individual home.
“The first thing you do is photograph everything in your house and videos can also be useful to get an inventory of what you have. I have several checklists to help get a sense of what your risks are, both inside and outside the home,” Burke explains. “Another tip sheet offers day by day priorities on what you should do to prepare for a storm.”
While her guidance contains a lot of common-sense information, it is often overlooked by homeowners during pre-storm anxiety.
LESSON LEARNED
Paul Dryden, a resident of Snell Isle who has lived in St. Pete since 2017, escaped the ravages of last year’s flooding while most of the neighborhood’s residents were not so lucky.
“Our house is elevated so we never had any flooding issues, but both of our kids lost their houses in the hurricanes last year,” he says. “We live right on the water, so we evacuated for both Milton and Helene.”
When they evacuated, he and wife Barbara took some valuables with them, including a collection of antique maps of Florida and some first edition books. They moved a beloved collection of three original oil paintings by a favorite regional artist to an area upstairs.
“That’s when I realized, ‘I don’t have any flood insurance to cover my collections,’ so I reached out to our insurance rep and he told me you need receipts or appraisals for anything over $5,000.”
Before storm season this year, Dryden contacted Burke to appraise and document their collection. She helped them prepare for the threat presented by future storms, complete with detailed timelines and how to handle artworks both before and after.
“It’s something I should have done a long time ago,” admits Dryden.
PROTECTION PLAN
As we are now in tropical storm and hurricane season, Burke recommends evaluating your art and developing a priority list of the things in your home.
“Some of your art might have more sentimental value while other things may have more monetary value,” she notes. “Sometimes, over the years, the value of certain art may increase. Things like jewelry will need appraisals and a rider as they aren’t covered. The next step is to decide to relocate it in a safe room in your house or take it with you if you evacuate.”
From there, she suggests assessing an on-coming storm and considering your worst-case scenario.
“Determine what is the biggest risk—wind or water damage—and what is most vulnerable. Some people choose to rent a storage unit. Every scenario is different. I work with people to help prioritize: What are your risks, what do you need, what is your budget? I look at the house and determine risks. Are you in a flood zone, near the water? Do you have a safe room with no windows you can use to store your art?”
She recommends if you have an extensive or high-end collection to work with art handlers who will come to your house and pack and transport your collection safely. If you plan to pack it yourself, she offers tips on how to do it properly.
HIGH STAKES
Mary Anna Murphy has lived on the banks of a creek and across from a pond in South St. Petersburg for some 30 years.
“We’ve never flooded,” she says of her home, which was built in 1952. “Nor have our neighbors, who have lived here for 50 years.”
But her home flooded during hurricanes Helene and Milton. A series of unframed etchings from the 1700s, passed down from her grandmother, and several antique oak desks sustained water damage. She had properly stored the etchings between acid-free pieces of cardboard and an inner sleeve with acid-free tissue, but that wasn’t enough to save them from the floodwater.
The bigger problem was that she had stashed them on a shelf only 6 inches above the floor, not enough to escape the 7.5 inches of water intrusion.
“I learned a few lessons,” she shares. “Like keep all your artwork up high.”
DAMAGE CONTROL
If the worst does happen, there may still be hope. One of the biggest enemies once there is water damage is mold.
“Once mold starts going, it’s hard to get it to stop,” Burke warns. “Get the works into a dry room, take them to someone else’s home if you don’t have electricity and dry them out with air conditioning and fans. Don’t toss a painting or books that show water damage as there are paper conservators that can do amazing work to restore damaged paper.”
For more information on Burke & Co., visit burkecofac.com
