Hurricane Ike's Effects in Texas
Galveston hurt the most, but other libraries closed after power outages
By Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 10/15/2008
Numerous libraries were closed or damaged in Southeast Texas in the wake of Hurricane Ike September 13; some suffered water damage, while others had reopenings delayed by power outages.
The Texas Library Association provided updates from which this summary is drawn and is also soliciting donations for a disaster relief fund.
Galveston took the worst hit. John Augelli, executive director of the Rosenberg Library, and two staffers stayed in the 75,000 square foot complex downtown that houses a library, archives, and museum and serves as the headquarters for the Galveston County Library System. They witnessed a storm surge inundate the first floor with over six feet of water. “It was a sound that you'd never forget,” Augelli told LJ.
Later, library contractors began to pump out the water and emptied the first floor of what used to be the children's collection. They began to dry out the building to ensure that humidity didn't damage valuable archival material. “I have devoted every minute and all my energy to the recovery process,” Augelli said. (More of LJ's interview here.).
The Jack K. Williams Library at Texas A&M University in Galveston suffered little structural damage, but the initial lack of power and air conditioning posed threats of mold; after dehumidification, “the collection appears to be undamaged,” according to the university's Steven Conway.
Other libraries
The library at Lamar State College–Orange took two to three inches on the first floor. At the University of Houston, the main library suffered only water-damaged carpeting, but the Architecture and Art Library was housed in a building that lost half its roof; damaged materials have been sent for freeze-drying or evaluation.
Several Houston Public Library branches were closed for weeks after the hurricane, but many locations provided disaster aid, including sites for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Blue Roof Program, which offers free temporary roofs to residential structures.
One branch of the Harris County Public Library, Houston, will remain closed because of roof leaks and water accumulation. The Bridge City Public Library was inundated by three to four feet of water and was described on the state library web site as “a total mess.”
At the Montgomery County Memorial Library System, Conroe, computer use at the central library was limited to services relating to hurricane recovery. The Nacogdoches Public Library served as a primary evacuee shelter for the city, housing 250 people.
