Flooding Leaves Two Houston
Branches Closed for Weeks
Two branches of the Houston Public Library will be closed for weeks in the wake of Tropical Storm Allison, which dumped nearly three feet of water on the city June 8–10, caused an estimated $2 billion in damage altogether, and killed at least 20 people.
All branches were shut down June 9, and the central library did not reopen for several days because of flooding in the basement, which houses a children’s room and a parking garage. Hardest hit was HPL’s Lakewood branch, which was closed indefinitely and lost 3,000 items to water damage.
The staff of the Pleasantville branch was stranded for more than a day in the facility because floodwaters blocked nearby streets. The branch also served as a temporary shelter for neighbors, according to HPL Public Information Officer Sheryl Berger. Officials anticipated it would remain closed for several weeks, the Houston Chronicle reported June 14.
The heaviest damage, however, was downtown. At Jones Hall, home of the Houston Symphony, many scores and instruments in the music library were reported ruined by chest-deep floodwaters, and some theaters were not expected to reopen for months.
Posted June 18, 2001.
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