“We made coffee with water cooler water, and we got snacks and put them out. “We were able to open the day after the flood,” said Vogel. The bookmobile was destroyed, said Vogel she recently received board approval to buy a new outreach vehicle, and is hoping for a midsized SUV that can navigate the region’s back roads. Only a few books from the collection that had been on a high shelf, and those that were checked out, survived.Īlthough it suffered far less damage, the Blackey branch will need to replace flooring, drywall, and insulation, as well as furniture, bookshelves, and some books.
The damage restoration company Servpro has been working to dry out the interior, and the electrical system has been repaired now the library needs to secure an architect, as everything but the shell will need to be rebuilt. The town of Fleming Neon saw extensive damage, Vogel said, and the interior of the library was devastated-a tree battered down the back door, letting water in, which broke through the front windows-although the building remained standing. The water had only breached the subbasement used for storage, destroying holiday decorations, old card catalogs, donated books waiting to be given away, and programming equipment-as well as the elevator, leaving the library’s upper floors inaccessible to those who can’t use the stairs. Her main concern, she said, was for the library’s extensive genealogy collection, compiled by the Letcher County Historical and Genealogical Society, which was irreplaceable. Vogel made it to the Caudill Library on the afternoon of July 28, afraid that she would find the entire building underwater. But a GoFundMe fundraiser set up by Kim Michele Richardson, author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek-a novel featuring the region’s legendary Pack Horse Librarians-has raised more than $30,000 to help the library rebuild and restock. Cleanup has been steady but slow, Director Alita Vogel told LJ. Caudill Memorial Library, Fleming Neon Public Library, Blackey Public Library-and a bookmobile were severely damaged. Among public libraries, one of the hardest hit was Letcher County Public Library (LCPL). Schools and their libraries across the region were severely battered many were still unable to open when the school year began. At least 43 people died of cleanup- or storm-related injuries, including four children. Flash flooding destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, washing out more than 100 bridges. The violent rainstorms that hit central Appalachia this summer dumped more than 10 inches of rain in eastern Kentucky during July 25–30.
Flood damage at Fleming Neon Public Library Photo by Alita Vogel
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