Arts Disaster and Crisis Preparedness Conference 2026

This panel brings together expertise from the National Weather Service and Kentucky Emergency Management to help arts and cultural leaders better understand how weather warnings are developed and communicated, and the ways that arts and cultural organizations can best engage with first responders before, during, and after an emergency.

Jane Marie Wix, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, Kentucky, will provide an overview of how weather forecasts and warnings are developed, communicated, and interpreted. She will explain what different warning types mean for situational awareness and decision‐making across hazards such as tornadoes, flooding, and severe storms. She will also share accessible tools that artists and cultural managers can use to translate technical weather information into timely, protective actions.

Jason York, Area 7 Regional Response Manager with Kentucky Emergency Management, will discuss how emergency management operates across the Commonwealth using NIMS as a common framework. He will explain who first responders are, how command and coordination structures function, and why shared terminology and advance relationship‐building are critical during emergencies. Jason will outline what emergency managers and first responders need to know about arts and cultural organizations—such as priority assets, building layouts, and collections risks—as well as what cultural leaders should understand about emergency management roles, protocols, and expectations.

Following brief presentations, the panel will shift to a moderated discussion of real‐world experiences and case examples, highlighting lessons learned and practical takeaways for cultural organizations. Moderated by network administrators for the Kentucky Heritage Emergency Response Network (KHERN), the conversation will focus on how arts and cultural organizations can move from reactive response to proactive preparedness by aligning their planning efforts with all‐hazards and NIMS principles.