Several reports of wet basements and flooded roads were heard throughout the region as residents tried to dry off after a succession of fall storms brought heavy rain and high winds to the coast.
Powell River Public Library, located in the basement of city hall, was closed for two days after water from a backed up storm drain seeped inside.
“We were watching the water rising,” said Terry Noreault, interim chief librarian. “As a tenant of the city, the city staff were marvellous. They had a crew come and they started vacuuming [the water] up and went to work on the storm drain right away.”
He added that as soon as the crews cleared the blockage in the drain it was noticeable how quickly the water level dropped.
While neither books nor equipment were damaged in the incident, carpets were soaked and there was a need to set up industrial fans to reduce the risk of mould growth, Noreault added.
“It was a little inconvenient to be closed, but the fans you need to dry the carpets are really loud,” he said, adding that library staff also moved some shelves around to increase airflow.
Former Talon Books publisher Karl Siegler’s talk on the future of book publishing was re-located to the basement of Powell River United Church across the road from the library as a result of the water.
The library re-opened Friday, December 12.
