The National Library worked through the night to move books out of the low-lying storage areas. This morning I found a map of the closed streets and realized our school's library borders one of the streets closed for flooding... the school's website has noted the library is closed until further notice, but it says that about the school in general so I didn't think too much of it until this a.m. Now the library is on the first floor (European style first floor, second if you're in the US) and it's hopefully not too likely the water will reach that high, but as I understand it, if you're evacuated you're not allowed right back in to the building once the water recedes. The owners have to clean and sterilize it and get approval from one of the few engineers qualified in the post-flood cleanup process to certify not only that it's clean but that structurally, addressing the building, water and electricity conduits, that it's sound and safe for rehabitation - and then you have to take that paper to the municipality for them to process it and release the lock-out.
This whole process can take a number of days... and now I'm worried that maybe while the water won't get to the books that possibly secondary moisture damage could. I hope that's not the case. I think we have the biggest English language library in the country and it'd truly be a tragedy if it were damaged.
I also realized - my leather winter boots are under my desk inside a building that is currently inaccessible. And my umbrella is right behind my desk, about two feet away from my boots. That was stupid. I went to the Fringe Fest after school on Friday and left my umbrella and boots in the building to collect today as I thought I'd chill at home for the weekend and skip the rainy weather... that was mostly true, but now the weekend is over and the building is still locked up. I think I'm going to need to find my warm rubber boots to head out in a bit and a stupid very thin rain jacket - like a single layer of plastic - that actually does keep me dry but does nothing for the cold.
So here's a repeat photo for you - one that was taken yesterday afternoon (it was already seriously flooded) for contrasting purposes.
And now here's the same location, but taken just before 8:30 this morning.
This whole process can take a number of days... and now I'm worried that maybe while the water won't get to the books that possibly secondary moisture damage could. I hope that's not the case. I think we have the biggest English language library in the country and it'd truly be a tragedy if it were damaged.
I also realized - my leather winter boots are under my desk inside a building that is currently inaccessible. And my umbrella is right behind my desk, about two feet away from my boots. That was stupid. I went to the Fringe Fest after school on Friday and left my umbrella and boots in the building to collect today as I thought I'd chill at home for the weekend and skip the rainy weather... that was mostly true, but now the weekend is over and the building is still locked up. I think I'm going to need to find my warm rubber boots to head out in a bit and a stupid very thin rain jacket - like a single layer of plastic - that actually does keep me dry but does nothing for the cold.
So here's a repeat photo for you - one that was taken yesterday afternoon (it was already seriously flooded) for contrasting purposes.
And now here's the same location, but taken just before 8:30 this morning.
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