Cranford Town Hall Hires Company to Freeze Dry Records to Preserve Them After Hurricane Irene

In order to preserve records that were damaged after Hurricane Irene flooded town hall, Cranford hired American Freeze Dry Operations, a New Jersey-based company to freeze dry wet records.

The process, a technique by which material is frozen, then dehydrated by sublimation, with complete retention of form, was used to save any records with water damage. 

Frozen material is placed into a vacuum chamber where the freeze-drying process takes place, according to the company. The time needed to completely dry materials varies according to the thickness of a volume, type of paper and the degree of saturation.

 The vacuum is pulled, a source of heat is introduced, and the collections are dried at temperatures below below freezing. The sublimation process takes place—that is, ice crystals vaporize without melting. This means that no additional swelling or distortion occurs.

In Cranford's case, the company attempted to rescue any records within 48 hours of touching water, according to a representative from the company. 

This was the only way to ensure that the records would not be lost, according to town hall. As soon as the flood hit, they wanted to ensure that important documents will be salvaged so they contacted American Freeze Dry Operations for assistance.

The company was successful in saving a majority of the records they treated.