Assessing Damage and Measuring Impact: From Crisis to Recovery ˗ What Is Required?

The 2021 floods struck the Belgian heritage sector while it was ill–prepared. Amid an ad hoc response and post–crisis management, evaluation methods played a crucial role in raising awareness of the situation, advocating for a response, and organising longer–term support for the most affected sites. Reviewing the assessment tools available at the time and their application prompts reflection on their limitations and suggests a more suitable blend between traditional narrative assessment methods and newer crisis management tools. Finally, contemplating how to assess tangible cultural heritage in a disaster context reveals how value assessment and our definitions of cultural heritage are reaching critical junctures in such circumstances.