On behalf of the Central Research Laboratory for Objects of Art and Science the Manual for the preparation of a museum's disaster plan is presented. It contains a short introduction, a concise description of the goals and a number of examples of actual disasters in museums. The core of the book is a 12 step manual, dealing with all the aspects of disaster planning, from risk- analysis to contacts with the press and from the internal organization to lists of phone numbers for professional assistance. The manual is limited to the preparation for a disaster and the direct response to it. The recovery and restoration of the collection and the building is not included.