Libraries have a critical role to play in disaster preparedness and recovery; advocates are working to document those efforts

The vital role libraries play in their communities has been well documented, yet many libraries are overlooked, and certainly underfunded, for their significant involvement in disaster preparedness and recovery. A small team (of which I am a part) has dedicated 10 years to researching the value of libraries through disasters, highlighting clear demonstrations of leadership as seen most recently following the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and the flooding in North Carolina from Hurricane Helene. Each new disaster brings focus to the urgency around recognizing libraries as key climate resiliency partners. To that end, academics, practitioners, educators, and other leaders have created a body of work to help share stories that raise awareness.

TOTAL DEVASTATION Only four walls of the Lāhainā Public Library, Maui, HI, remain standing after devastating wildfires, August 2023. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Hawai‘i.

THE ROOTS OF PREPAREDNESS

While communities routinely turn to their public library during severe weather for shelter and other basic needs, training around preparedness has not been widespread. Michele Stricker, now retired from the New Jersey State Library (NJSL), led the way after Hurricane—often referred to as Superstorm—Sandy ravaged the east coast from Florida to Maine in 2012. What many people remember was that coastal areas in New Jersey and New York had mandatory evacuations, and bridge, road, and transit system closures. All major operations in New York City were negatively impacted by record storm surges. Gale force winds in the Midwest, with an arctic storm in Michigan, chased Sandy rapidly to the east.

Stricker coined the phrase, “Information First Responders” and documented the ways public libraries responded to the disaster. New Jersey’s public libraries opened when they could, as communities everywhere faced floodwaters and power outages. As is often the case, when residents couldn’t leave, they flocked to libraries to use computers, fill out FEMA forms, power up a device, or just stay warm.

Stricker called the libraries “Ports in a Storm,” and spent many years helping librarians, staff, and partners understand the role the library can play during a disaster and the lengthy recovery process. With grant funds, NJSL created “The Librarian’s Disaster Planning and Community Resiliency Guidebook” and workbook in 2016, and held workshops throughout the state to walk libraries and their staff through preparedness and recovery efforts.

“I was working as the teen librarian at Old Bridge [NJ] when Sandy hit. The library did not have power for a week after the storm. As soon as the library got power we became a charging station and center of communication for the community,” says Mary Ecklund. “We purchased extra power strips and rearranged furniture so everyone could charge their devices; provided computer access; shared information on our website, Facebook page...and through in-person and telephone reference.”

During the February 2020 Public Library Association conference, Stricker and Deborah Costa from FEMA Region II National Preparedness Division presented a session titled “How Librarians Can Facilitate Emergency Preparedness Activities for a More Resilient Community.” They provided scenarios developed by FEMA (see bit.ly/FEMA-preparedness) and discussed at length topics such as hurricanes, wildfires, pet preparedness, and more. One important area Stricker emphasizes is the ability for libraries to be eligible for federal assistance, including temporary relocation, through the Stafford Act. Many libraries become Disaster Response Centers, which happened during Sandy and was recently demonstrated by Pike County and Martin County public libraries, in eastern Kentucky, in the wake of February flooding. NJSL’s training resources are a useful template for any library considering this service.

RECENT RAVAGES In the past half year alone, the Palisades fire destroyed Los Angeles Public Library’s Palisades Branch (l.) and Hurricane Helene flooded the town of Morganton, SC. Top photo courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library. Bottom photo ©2024 Steve Exum/Getty Images

BUILDING EMERGENCY RESPONSE

A different disaster motivated School of Information Science faculty from the University of South Carolina, whose largest campus is in Columbia, to conduct a study to learn more about health information, communication, and technology. In 2015, South Carolina suffered record rainfall and severe flooding over five days in early October. With more than 20 inches of rainfall on top of wet ground, this storm was documented as a historic weather event. Massive flooding took place across the state, causing closure of 500 roads and bridges, 125 failed dams, more than 20,000 displaced residents, and 36 out of 46 counties declared disaster areas. The Columbia Canal, which brings clean water to residents, was destroyed. Power outages were widespread and many were weeks without water. South Carolina Emergency Management estimated the cost of the disaster, as of August 2016, at $2.2 billion.

The South Carolina State Library (SCSL) was in a position to coordinate efforts to assist libraries statewide. As then–Deputy Director, I put a call out on social media for donated materials, and many groups responded. SCSL had the space to house thousands of donated items, including a truckload from a Manhattan, KS, Special Education Class that chose South Carolina libraries as their special cause. On Facebook, author/illustrator Fiona Robinson encouraged her colleagues in publishing, art, and design to send books to the State Library. She created one-of-a-kind artworks and entered anyone who sent materials into a drawing for them.

Charlotte Johnson, then Director at Clarendon County Library System (now a school librarian), picked up nearly 300 books from the State Library. “We distributed about 80 of the books to families from an apartment complex in Summerton that was ruined by the flood [and] added about 50 titles to our collection,” she says. “The SCSL also provided us with two MiFi [mobile] hotspots in the aftermath of the flood, [which we used] to provide services and internet access on our bookmobile while we were waiting for the replacement parts and installation for our damaged equipment.” Givhans Alternative Program, a rural public school in Ridgeville, lost everything when their media center was destroyed, says former Principal Joyce Dearing. “Two of our ELA teachers came back with 300 books, [which was] a big deal to the kids.”

Associate Professor Dr. Feili Tu-Keefner asked me to represent the State Library and bring the statewide perspective; soon after that April Hobbs, formerly a graduate assistant and now at the Network of the National Library of Medicine Region 2, joined forces to examine the role of public libraries during and after the floods. After several different studies covering flooding and hurricanes from 2015–17, the team expanded to look at other disasters across the United States. The team investigated ways that libraries could serve as catalysts to facilitate building community capacity and the resources for emergency response and recovery. In each new place and new library, it became clear that staff were dedicated and wanted to help in any way feasible.

A CONCENTRATED EFFORT

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, inundating Houston with over 40 inches of rain and causing catastrophic flooding. Our research team coordinated with the deputy director of Houston Public Library (HPL) to conduct focus groups with staff, including the director, administration, and representatives from outreach, facilities, and branch locations. The emotion was palpable. We heard many variations on the common thread of pulling information and resources together to disseminate throughout the community. One HPL librarian from the fourth focus group said, “We also provided the availability for people to get on board our vehicles to apply for FEMA assistance, to check up on housing arrangements that they had to Skype, or to have virtual conversations with other family members.”

In a large, multicultural city such as Houston, the challenge wasn’t only one of literacy, but also languages. HPL staff translated all library materials into the area’s five most common languages at the time—English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and French. Up to 19 “more common” languages were identified and translated, including Arabic and Urdu. Certain neighborhoods required more assistance than others. “It’s just the way that Harvey hit—we don’t have many Vietnamese speakers on staff,” one employee said. “The locations that were open where we did have a Vietnamese speaker, that information got around Houston and everyone would show up there.”

“MORE OF EVERYTHING”

Because a library is often located in a central area, it is common for it to be approached by potential partners during any kind of crisis or disaster. Northern California’s NorthNet Library System (NLS), through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), created an important project for 41 member libraries in 29 counties. The region has been plagued by natural disasters that include floods, fires, and earthquakes, forcing residents into long-term evacuations and presenting air quality concerns. One staff member in Plumas County saw their branch burn down in the Dixie Fire on Facebook. Common among the California library staff was the desire to continue to help, even if they were also impacted by the crisis. The NLS “Recovering Together” project not only assisted libraries throughout the region to respond to disasters, but helped them through all recovery efforts.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky also experienced a set of back-to-back disasters, with tornadoes in the west of the state at the end of 2021 and severe flooding and mudslides to the east in summer 2022. The Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky experienced severe flooding; recovery was made more challenging by the hard-to-reach terrain. “FEMA set up a couple of days in the library to talk to people,” said a librarian in Perry County, and “we went through technical services…and had the FEMA apps, the Social Security apps, put on all of our computers so that people could access that if they came in.” They continued to use all the surrounding parking lots.

The massive flooding in July left thousands with no electricity, many without water, and led to the death of 37 people as well as leaving hundreds—perhaps thousands—without homes. Letcher County libraries were also flooded (see “Eastern Kentucky Floods Devastate Library; Local Author Steps Up To Help,” bit.ly/KYFlooding), including the Fleming Neon Library, which is in the process of rebuilding and has still not reopened. “We had to circle around the whole town, basically, and then come back in from the other side, and first thing we see—it was just a total loss,” recalls a staff member. “The library was completely destroyed.” When asked what people needed, she said, “People were charging their phones here. I threw out the ‘no shoes’ rule. If they didn’t want to wear their shoes in here because they were gross…let them leave them in the foyer.” Breathitt County Public Library won the Gale/LJ Libraries Defying the Odds award for their service to the community aiding in recovery.

Perry County Public Library has two showers, and staff said they were in use 24 hours a day because people had to muck out their properties once the waters receded. Appalshop is a media, art, and education center focused on Appalachian culture whose archive was decimated by six and a half feet of water. When asked what they might have done differently, a Letcher County Public Library staff member responded, “In our communities, libraries do everything, so when it comes to a crisis, you just do more of everything. It’s just thinking outside the box, seeing what people need and trying to provide it.”

The devastating weather events led Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to sign an Executive Order establishing the Council for Community Recovery and Resiliency to provide the state with a coordinated response for response and recovery efforts. There have been several recent weather events, including a recent disaster declaration for flooding in the east, although this time libraries were spared and are currently serving as Disaster Resource Centers.

California’s libraries understand what feels like to constantly be responding to one disaster after another. Regardless of size or location, all librarians have emphasized the building of partnerships. “We’ve been on this multiyear journey to do things differently,” an administrator in San Diego County told us. “When I first got here…if OES [Office of Emergency Services] needed to use the library as a local assistance center, it was a formal ask.... Or even if they thought to reach out to a library, they would normally go to a school. So we’ve been on this process of, yes, we can accommodate. We should be your first choice because the community knows us.”

In an emergency, challenges of literacy, digital literacy, and language barriers become life-threatening issues. “Even though we set up the centers for help, there were some people who didn’t necessarily realize immediately what they needed,” said a librarian working for San Diego Public Library. “You get people coming in months later, and they sort of have this idea that they heard about from somewhere, and how do they do it? Then you’ve got both an information literacy problem of [their needing] to find out what exactly it is that they do or don’t qualify for, and then often also a technology problem of, ‘How do I fill out this form?’ ” In 2015, Tu-Keefner had the opportunity to interview a FEMA agent who said, “You don’t even have to be illiterate to be overwhelmed by our letters—they’re very hard to read.” Fourteen percent of all FEMA applications for the 2015 South Carolina floods were filed at the public library.

PARADISE LOST In 2023, wildfires on Hawai‘i’s island of Maui gutted the Lāhainā Public Library, which served a community of some 22,000 residents and vacationers. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Hawaii State Librarian

THE EMOTIONAL TOLL

One commonality among all libraries and their employees is the mental toll and compassion fatigue that emerge from a disaster. The Healing Library (thehealinglibraryus.com) is a useful resource for libraries to assist their communities. Napa Valley, CA, adapted the kits for helping families through several different types of crises. A new severe weather kit, created in conjunction with the Maine State Library by Founder and Director Megan Emery Schadlich, was just released. “The opportunity to work on this kit was perfect timing on our end,” she says. “As someone originally from the north who moved to the south, it’s been eye-opening watching the storms in our region changing.” While working on the kit, Emery Schadlich followed the experiences of libraries in Asheville, NC, affected by Hurricane Helene. “Assembling the right team of scientists, emotional and mental health workers, and environmentally focused advocates from across the country [helped] to ensure we built a body of work that is as universal as possible to help families navigate severe weather,” she says. “The opportunity to layer in ways to remain physically, as well as emotionally, safe before, during, and after severe weather events was our outcome.”

BUILDING ON THE WORK, SENDING THE MESSAGE

It is deeply important for government leaders to be aware that libraries provide critical services in climate emergencies, and that their work moves their communities toward and through recovery. IMLS continues to support projects that identify libraries as community catalysts and responders to community needs, several of which highlight the library’s ability to provide specialized services, materials, and accurate information, and even convene community conversation.

Dr. Marcia A. Mardis, professor at Florida State University’s (FSU) School of Information, is the coordinator for educational informatics and director of the Information Institute. She and her team members have been working on service roles, best practices, tools, and resources that enable better utilization of the public library in community hurricane preparation and recovery; one project has identified eight key service roles public libraries can fill in hurricane/disaster planning and response. “Because of our location, FSU has been part of the hurricane research community since 2003, but 2018’s Hurricane Michael brought the fragility of our rural communities into sharp focus,” she says. “Our small and rural public librarians bring more than materials—they bring professional expertise, empathy, and deep local knowledge to tailored services for the areas that community government responders are not always prepared to assist, including our most vulnerable citizens. Especially in disasters, libraries are resiliency hubs, with library personnel offering support with everything from sheltering to aid distribution to legal information. This essential role has been unrecognized for too long!”

Libraries will respond to a crisis and step up throughout the recovery period. However, this is not always recognized and valued by those making funding and resource decisions. Professional development for staff remains a strong need. The mantra “What I didn’t learn in library school” still echoes as degree programs are not incorporating disaster preparedness and recovery into programs in a consistent way. Some programs may include these topics or others like crisis communication into a course, but many of the library staff interviewed indicated that an overview class would be very helpful. Continuing education consultants and programs at state library agencies are meeting some of these needs; some states, like Kentucky and California, offer training with the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the conservation and preservation of cultural heritage collections that can easily be lost or damaged in a disaster. Organizations like WebJunction and Lyrasis offer in-person training and many virtual options of various lengths; the LJ Director’s Summit and library association conferences also offer valuable continuing education.

Communities can build on the work they have already been doing. Many groups, departments, and agencies often work in silos and need to focus on cross-organizational opportunities for training and communication. Libraries’ service in times of disaster continues to evolve by necessity. They are naturally the place residents gravitate to; they are seen as trustworthy, providing information that is accurate and thorough, and they offer many specialized services that can adapt during times of need. All indications point to increased numbers and intensity of future disasters. Ensuring that libraries and staff are as prepared as possible, and can respond as quickly as possible, will help them support their communities to recover.

Denise Lyons is the State Librarian and Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives in Frankfort. She has been an adjunct faculty member for UNC–Greensboro and was a 2010 LJ Mover and Shaker. She continues to be part of the “Library Leadership Disaster Research” team, led by Dr. Tu-Keefner out of the University of South Carolina School of Information Science.