Hurricane Ike Destroys Louisiana Library; Is Galveston Library Lost?
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 09/16/2008
- Temporary library lost in Cameron Parish, LA
- Galveston bore brunt of storm
- Houston PL inviting residents to contact FEMA
A temporary library in Cameron Parish, located in Louisiana’s southwest corner, was destroyed by Hurricane Ike over the weekend, according to SOLINET’s Gulf Coast Libraries Project. The Cameron branch established in February 2007 in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. The status of another branch, located in Grand Chenier, is not yet known.
The hurricane caused death and devastation in Texas, notably Galveston, where sketchy press reports indicate that the Rosenberg Library is heavily damaged, and historic documents stored there may have been lost. The library is the oldest continuingly operating library in Texas and contains the Galveston and Texas History Center. It also serves as the headquarters for the Galveston County Library System
The Houston Public Library (HPL) announced that it would reopen two locations today and two more tomorrow, offering residents the opportunity to apply for FEMA aid and insurance claims, and to e-mail family and friends. HPL said it would provide laptops in its locations to increase the opportunity for web access.
While the brunt of Ike hit Texas, Louisiana was not unscathed. “We feel like we are reliving Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita here in Terrebonne,” wrote Terrebonne Parish Library System Director Mary Cosper LeBoeuf on the Louisiana Library Status blog. “We sustained minimal damage during Hurricane Gustav, but we are having severe flooding in the rural bayou communities of Terrebonne for Hurricane Ike. I do not have any information on four bayou branches because the levees were breached or broke in these communities. Some of the structures have over five feet of water.”
“There is no Internet service at any of the libraries because the service company lost towers and some of our satellites were either bent or flew off to other places,” she added. “We are working with an alternative service provider because we know people will desperately need Internet access after the devastation of Hurricane Ike.
At the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, the Main Library has abbreviated hours and also sections cordoned off due to water damage. (The library offers a Hurricane Hotline page.)
Meanwhile, on Monday, FEMA opened a Disaster Recovery Center for Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, one of eight in south Louisiana, in the main library of the New Orleans Public Library, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The Baton Rouge Advocate reported that another Disaster Recovery Center opened at the Iberville Parish Library in Plaquemine.
The winds hit Ohio
As noted in the comment below, high winds from Ike knocked out power around Ohio. Linda Wilkins of the Westerville Public Library, OH, told LJ that hundreds of residents went to the library Sunday to charge their cell phones, access wireless service, and chat with others who lost electricity after 75 mph winds hit the town. The library’s snack counter sold record amounts of coffee and cookies to visitors, she said, who deployed their laptops on tables ordinarily used for displays of books and other services.
