CLEARWATER, Fla. — After four months of disaster cleanup, the Clearwater Main Library reopened Tuesday morning after a flood in September.
Back on Sept. 6, 2023, city officials stated a fire sprinkler pipe failed, which caused the library to flood. This happened on the third floor of the library, but damaged floors below, as well.
Library officials said the damage totaled $5 million, and city officials worked with insurance to cover the cost.
"About 16,000 books were affected by the flood. That’s out of about 200,000 that are here in this location," said the library's assistant director, Linda Rothstein.
Library workers were able to salvage most of the books that got wet by freezing them.
"They whisked away as many as they possibly could right after it happened, and most of them they froze. That inhibits mold growth, and it also inhibits warping of pages," Rothstein explained.
Disaster teams worked for several months to get the library back up and running. Those who use the library daily are very happy to see it reopened.
"Relief, relief — finally, finally enjoy the library. We come down here quite a bit," Corine and Paul Arnold said.
For the foreseeable weeks ahead, library staff will sort through the books that were badly damaged. They will assess if they need to be replaced or updated.