"Studio Protector" Guide Grows Out Of Disaster

Whether it's tornadoes, fires or floods, a new natural disaster "toolkit" is helping artists prepare for emergencies.

In the words of Craig Nutt, "Emergency preparedness is possibly the only topic in the world that is both terrifying and boring."

So he and others with CERF -- the Craft Emergency Relief Fund -- created the "Studio Protector," a wall-hanging kit. It's full of lessons learned by artists who lost their works in Hurricane Katrina. The kit has pull-out pamphlets, a spin-the-wheel disaster chart and emergency phone numbers.

Carol Barton is a paper engineer in Glenn Echo, Maryland. She helped make sure the toolkit would appeal to the artistically inclined. "It's colorful, it's got dramatic imagery on it, disasters hitting! It's really eye-catching."

But it could be useful for NON-artists as well. "This can help you when your computer crashes." CERF's Meg Ostrum knows of what she speaks. Three weeks ago a leaky shower would up flooding two floors of her house. "And becuase I had the Studio Protector, I knew just what to do."

CERF plans to market the kit to art supply stores and city arts organizations.

Stephanie Kaye reports...