Were your heirlooms damaged in Florence? The Smithsonian might be able to help

Over 2,000 homes flooded in Horry County as result of Hurricane Florence, destroying countless possessions. The Smithsonian wants to help make sure that important familial items are preserved.

The Smithsonian Institution, the operators of many of the Washington D.C. museums, will be in Conway to help Horry residents learn more about cleaning and salvaging important items, documents and valuables.

Preservationists with the Smithsonian will be at the Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Center at Horry-Georgetown Technical College at 2050 U.S. 501 in Conway from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday. They will show folks how to handle damaged items and options for beginning the restoration process.

“These valued possessions may be salvageable,” the news release said.

The services are made possible through the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, which is co-sponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian. According to its website, its mission “is to protect cultural heritage in our nation’s states, tribes, territories, and local communities from the damaging effects of natural disasters and other emergencies.”

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 2:32 PM.