HELLERTOWN, Pa. — Forget the books.
Dehumidifiers and Shop-Vacs were on loan Tuesday at Hellertown Area Library after an intense downpour Monday night flooded the basement.
- Hellertown Area Library was closed Tuesday
- Monday night's storms flooded the basement
- Plans are to reopen by July 5
The storm forced the library’s closure Tuesday — and suspension of popular summertime library programming.
According to a Facebook post Tuesday night, the library will be closed until further notice, except for slim windows with limited check-in and check-out services.
The staff hopes to have the building up and running again by July 5.
“We were able to get the water soaked up off the floor. It’s carpet squares on concrete,” said Executive Director Noelle Kramer. “But we’re going to have professionals come in because we can’t have mold.”
Monday’s storms brought more than 4 inches of rain and inundated parts of the Lehigh Valley.
Hellertown appeared to have taken a hit. As library staffers worked to clean up the mess Tuesday, broken branches and limbs littered Dimmick Park across the street.
Kramer said a craft class was using the basement about 7 p.m. Monday when the lights flickered and water began pouring through ground-level windows. The water ran down the drywall and poured onto the floor.
“The big concern is mold,” Kramer said of the walls. “We can dry the carpet. We can take care of that. But I think at this point we want to see what the remediators say before we can use this space again.”
The basement is used as a community room where children’s story time and other programs are held.
The basement has taken on water before, usually at a below-ground stairwell where water pools and seeps under a security door, Kramer said. The library has a portable sump pump for that and used it Monday night.
“The community has been wonderful. We’re very grateful. We’ve always had great support from the community.”Noelle Kramer, Hellertown Area Library executive director
But water in the windows was something new for the 30-year-old building.
Kramer and children’s librarian Andrea Milliran said they were heartened by support from library patrons as word of the flooding spread. Many stopped by to offer use of Shop-Vacs and other equipment.
“The community has been wonderful,” Kramer said. “We’re very grateful. We’ve always had great support from the community.”
As for when programming might resume, Kramer said, “We’re going to play it by ear.”
If the weather cooperates, it’s not out of the question that children’s story time could be held outdoors until the basement can be used again, she said.
Some of the summer programs have up to 40 to 60 participants.
“We’re little but we offer a lot,” she said.
