As Mid-Michigan begins to switch into recovery mode in the wake of those monster floods, a local library is running a race against time. The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library in Midland had water pouring in through its basement windows. When ABC 12 caught up with them late last week, the checklist was long and time was short.
The sign on the wall asks for quiet…
That’s no longer the rule, but the exception. The hustle and bustle is a far-cry from your typical day at the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, grappling with the aftermath of rising water.
“Cutting up drywall, ripping out carpet, everything,” explained Library Director Miriam Andrus, describing the work that lay ahead.
Yet, a little on-the-spot creativity may have saved part of its collection from a watery grave, says Andrus.
“Our parks department had this wonderful idea to build a dam,” related Andrus. “So, we actually dammed the low-lying area and were able to stop the water.”
That non-by-the-book solution likely spared the basement – which houses the library’s kid’s collection – but still, from the drywall, to the carpet, it’s water, water everywhere and a race against time to clean it up.
“We have about 48 hours to get books and materials out of that humid situation because it’s all paper,” explained Andrus. “Our basement has about 80-thousand items.”
More than two million dollars’ worth, each carefully packed into crates then carried upstairs. That was the scene Thursday as an unlikely human chain of National Guard members and librarians sought to beat the clock.
The extensive damage just goes to show history repeats itself. After another flood in 2017, the library had just completed a million dollar renovation.
“This is very recent,” laughed Andrus. “So, hopefully we’ll be able to get it put back together faster than we did the last time now that we already know what we’re doing.”
An unlikely silver lining likely made the path forward that much easier to walk.
“With COVID-19, there is one upside,” began Andrus. “Our building is closed and so, we’re able to store all of the books from the basement on the main level.”
ABC 12 still saw crews in the parking lot as of Sunday morning, helping the Grace A Dow turn the page and begin a new chapter in its service to the community. The toys downstairs, however, couldn’t all be saved. The library is interested in any donations to keep little ones occupied when it does re-open.