The Urgency Emergency: Immediate Comprehensive Planning Needed in the Performing Arts as Risks Grow from Climate Change and Terrorism

Abstract

Performing arts organizations need to make comprehensive emergency planning an immediate priority. In the decade and a half since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, dozens of performing arts organizations have been impacted by climate-change related weather events. Science tells us the number of organizations impacted by climate change is going to grow significantly over the next fifty years. In the same time frame, terror attacks have been growing in the United States. Cultural and religious institutions are increasingly at risk as a result of a growth in far-right violent extremism. Mass casualty attacks are on the rise, and terrorism-related cyberattacks are on the rise as well. A natural disaster or terror attack could close a performing arts organization for days, months, or even years. This is why adopting a comprehensive emergency action plan will better ensure the survival of a performing arts organization in the wake of a disaster caused by climate-change associated weather events or acts of terrorism. This paper makes the case for emergency planning by citing the science behind climate change and analyzing the growing risks from terrorism. Case studies of organizations that have been impacted by these events are included to demonstrate how elements of planning or a lack of planning can impact recovery efforts. In addition, a history of emergency planning efforts in the performing arts since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 is included for context. Arts administrators have more resources for planning than ever before and can use these tools to enable their organizations to deliver on their mission even in the wake of a disaster.