A tornado that touched down September 24 in Prince George’s and Howard counties, Maryland, caused a major power failure and damage to the stacks and collections at the National Agricultural Library in Beltsville.
The funnel cloud passed just behind the NAL buildings at 5:20 p.m. No one was injured, but nine windows were broken, many newspapers were lost to wind and water damage, and the card catalog of the Index Catalogue of Medical and Veterinary Zoology was blown into disarray in the Abraham Lincoln Building. The building reopened September 28 after power was restored and water pumped out of the basement, according to Acting Director Gary McCone.
The twister also damaged one branch of the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System and disrupted service at another. At the Beltsville branch, the tornado knocked down a dozen trees that fell on the roof of the building and punched 60 holes in the roof. Damage was mostly limited to the children’s collection, the area closest to the trees. In addition to water damage to the carpet, between 200 and 500 books were damaged.
Prince George’s director Maralita Freeny told American Libraries that the loss to the collection could have been much worse. As holes appeared in the roof, library patrons helped staff relocate books to dry locations. “It was just remarkable to see how many customers helped remove books from the shelves,” said Freeny. The branch remained closed after the storm but was expected to reopen on September 28.
The only other disruption in service was at the Laurel branch, where extensive damage from the storm caused a power outage, closing the library. The branch reopened the next day.
Posted October 1, 2001.