Alabama Libraries Report Heavy Damage from Recent Storms
By Michael Kelley May 2, 2011The librarian community in Alabama bore the brunt of the damage from the tornadoes that tore through several southern states last week.
At least six libraries were heavily damaged and at least two or three of them may be a total loss, Rebecca Mitchell, the state librarian, told LJ. The affected libraries are Pell City Library; The Carl Elliott Regional Library System in Jasper; The Killen Public Library; The Ragland Public Library; The Cordova Public Library; and the Pratt City Branch of the Birmingham Public Library.
The final three may be damaged beyond repair.
"The Cordova Public Library has some walls standing; and the Ragland Public Library, which is northeast of Birmingham, has water damage to the point they feel it's going to be a total loss," Mitchell said.
"There are still 12 libraries in significantly hit areas that we just can't get reports on yet," Mitchell said Monday. "There's still no power and cell towers are down," she said. The state has 219 public libraries, and President Obama has declared an emergency for all 67 counties in Alabama.
Pratt City Branch in Birmingham likely a total loss
The storm in Alabama killed at least 250 people with hundreds still missing. According to Dena Luce, administrator for the Alabama Library Association, Pleasant Grove Library director Donna Sartain reported that Canatha Earley, a long-time board member and volunteer who was honored last year as a Library Champion, was among the victims. The award is bestowed each year by the Jefferson County Public Library Association.
| Damage to the Pratt City Branch of the Birmingham Public Library. |
Mitchell, the state librarian, said that among the libraries her staff had contacted, all staff members had been accounted for, although some had lost their homes.
The Pratt City Branch in Birmingham may have to be demolished, Renee Blalock, the library's director, told LJ.
"It was in the direct path of the tornado and it's pretty much a total loss," she said. "We got all the books out, which by some miracle didn't get wet, and today we are removing furniture that's not busted up. But the roof is all done, the AC is blown all over the place, every window is broken, and a couple of walls are cracked," Blalock said.
Other Birmingham branches suffered power outages, but as of today only the Wylam Branch remained closed because of a lack of power.
Aside from salvaging the roughly 22,000 books, the shelving from the 9000 square foot branch might also be saved and put in storage, Blalock said. And, fortunately, the library also just updated its insurance.
FEMA rule change could help
Blalock was also hopeful that the January 7 change in FEMA regulations, which recognized libraries as an essential community organization and thus eligible for temporary aid for interim services, will allow the library to receive federal assistance.
"It would be helpful for people to have access to computers and phones while they are up there working on their houses," she said.
Several staff members lost their homes, and one employee lost a family member, Blalock said.
One of the hardest hit areas was Tuscaloosa, AL, but the library there was unscathed, according to its director, Mary Elizabeth Harper. The library has been serving as a help center for the town's devastated residents, not unlike libraries after Katrina.
"I just talked with the assistant director for public services, and we will be waiving the fax charges for FEMA related faxes through this week, and we have also waived the printing charges through Wednesday," she told LJ.
On April 28, the day after the storm, the library was inundated with patrons who needed Internet access and electricity to charge their computers and cellphones, Vince Bellofatto, the public relations coordinator, said.
"We hit full capacity on our WiFi on Thursday, which would have meant over 200 computers were fully going at it, and that same day you would not have been able to find an open electrical outlet," he said.
Six of the library's staff members lost their homes, he said, and the rest of the staff "was rallying around them."
The buildings and collections of the University of Alabama libraries sustained no damage, a spokesperson told LJ.
For those wishing to offer assistance to libraries in Alabama, Mitchell asked that inquiries be sent to her at rmitchell@apls.state.al.us.
A Georgia local history collection in danger
In Georgia, the Dade County Public Library in Trenton, part of the Cherokee Regional Library System in the northwest corner of the state (touching Alabama and Tennessee), suffered extensive damage to a temporary location that the library had been operating while the main library underwent renovations.
The renovation project is about 60 percent of the way done and the main library was unaffected by the storm, but the roof at the temporary location was partially blown off, and the collection inside was soaked, Lecia Eubanks, the Cherokee system's director, told LJ. No staff members were hurt.
"Our geneaology and local history material was boxed up and stored at the temporary location and that took the biggest hit, and we are most concerned about that," Eubanks said. She has hired Belfor USA to sort through the collection and determine what is salvageable.
"It was very comforting to have someone come in and to know our collection was in good hands and would be taken care of," Eubanks said.
The immediate plan is to get essential services back up and running, particularly computer access, Eubanks said. The library has a table at the disaster recovery center, and even though all its computers were destroyed, libraries around the state are donating computers to set up at the center.
Eubanks was hopeful that FEMA would provide the library with a trailer where it could relocate temporarily.
"We are already in touch with FEMA and our senator's office," Lamar Veatch, the state librarian, told LJ.
Free access for people in need in Tennessee
In Tennessee, public libraries mostly escaped serious damage, Lynette Sloan, the director of regional libraries at the State Library & Archives, told LJ.
Several public libraries reported power outages, computer issues and minor leaking. The worst damage reported thus far has been to the new King Family Public Library in Sevierville. The library received water damage to the third floor History Center as well as the Teen Center.
The Fayetteville-Lincoln Public Library has seen an influx of people from the Huntsville, Alabama area over the last few days. According to library director Charlotte Brown, "It's somewhat similar to the onslaught we had from Katrina." As in Tuscaloosa, the library is providing them with a place to charge their cell phones and plug in laptops.
"That's what libraries are all about: free access to what people need when they need it," Brown said.
Jennifer Wann Walker, the director of development services for the Mississippi Library Commission, told LJ that there were no reports of significant damage to any library facilities there and that all staff members were accounted for.
The storm killed about 100 people in Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Virginia and Louisiana.
