Yesterday,
August 4, 2009, Louisville, Kentucky was hit with a powerful
thunderstorm that left inches of rain behind in a very short period of
time. Some estimates were up to 7 inches within an hour. The rain
stopped for a while, then it came again.
Louisville had no
shortfall of rain prior to this and there simply was no place for all
of this water to go, so it chose to run down streets, flood parking
garages, homes, businesses and university classrooms, and dump several
feet of muddy water into the local downtown library.
Today, the
Louisville Free Public Library, is pumping and mucking out water and
sludge. In it's wake, is an estimate of upwards of a million dollars in
damage. This damage not only includes books, but computers and other
technology equipment destined for the Newberg Center. It includes the
library technology server, the air conditioning and heating systems,
the electrical system, and more.
My
heart breaks at the loss of the books and other library equipment. Just
seeing the books floating in the murky water touched something in me. I
want to do something, so today I contacted The Library Foundation for
what I could do to help.
According to Mary Hunt, of The Library
Foundation, the most urgent needs are for cash donations. Perhaps
later, there will be a need for book donations and other kinds of
support. So for now, this is where I start.
If you love books,
live in the Louisville community, and would like to support the
rebuilding of the Library by donating to the Flood fund, please send
your donations to:
The Library Foundation
301 York Street
Louisville, KY 40203
Please note on your donation: Flood Recovery Fund
This
is a start. I have other ideas for support and will be keeping in touch
with The Library Foundation. I welcome your ideas, as well. Stay tuned.
Additional articles:
Louisville Libraries Hit by FloodingLouisville Free Public Library on
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