Smithtown Library working to salvage historical collection after catastrophic flooding

Cleanup crews in white hazmat suits collected debris and damaged materials from the Smithtown Library’s basement, tossing them into two large dumpsters on Wednesday morning.

Sunday night’s storm caused catastrophic damage to the basement, where floodwaters poured in from above, breaking down walls, offices and an elevator shaft. They also caused untold damage to a prized historical collection dating to the 17th century and destroyed more than 21,000 AV materials.

Water had risen at least 10 feet, almost reaching, if not touching, the basement's ceiling, library director Robert Lusak said.

The most heartbreaking damage was to the library’s Long Island History room, which Lusak called its "crown jewel," where librarians stored hundreds of historical materials such as maps and books dating to the 1600s.

The room housed the Richard Hockman Handley Collection, comprising rare books, documents, manuscripts and atlases related to Long Island's history.

Perhaps the most priceless item in their possession was the patent of Richard Smith, the namesake and one of the primary patentees of Smithtown, the library said.

On Wednesday afternoon, an archivist said much of the collection can be saved.

Safeguards failed

The Smithtown building sits at the lowest point of state Route 25A, but the historical documents were thought to be safe, stored in a locked room with a weather-protected door designed to prevent water from breaching the room. The room also was designed to prevent humidity and heat from damaging the books’ pages.

But the flooding was so intense that the water broke through the room’s walls of Sheetrock while the door stayed intact.

"If it was in the daytime, and it happened when patrons and staff would be down in this level, they'd be killed instantly," Lusak said.

Staff had begun to digitize the historical documents, but there is a chance some items may not be salvaged.

After assessing the damage, Adam Lyszczarz, archival specialist with Prism Specialties, said the majority of historical items may not be in their original condition, but will be saved.

"There may be water lines," he said. "But we will be able to salvage the collection for the most part."

Smith’s deed, for example, may be lighter to read than before.

Over the next few days, the items will be securely packaged into a refrigerated tractor trailer and taken to Prism Specialties’ operations in Michigan. The materials will then be frozen with an industrial freeze dryer, sanitized and hand-cleaned.

Standard restoration for damaged items typically takes six to eight weeks, Lyszczarz said, but the timeline could be longer because the materials are old and require special treatment.

Entering through the roof

The damage was discovered Monday morning when staff members arrived for work and couldn't use their ID badges because the building’s electricity was out. With the help of the Smithtown Fire Department, Lusak entered the building from the roof’s hatch leading into the children’s area.

The water had poured down the library’s east stairwell, which led to the basement. It rose at least 12 feet in the stairwell before it broke through the window with immense pressure.

"I keep thinking of that scene from 'Titanic,' when all of the furniture is floating and people are swimming," said assistant library director Eileen Caulfield. The power of the rushing water collapsed Caulfield's office walls and the elevator shaft.

The lower level looked like a scene out of an apocalyptic movie Wednesday morning.

An AV desk from one side of the room had been repositioned to the opposite side, still with its computer monitor and phone system intact.

Bookshelves and CD stacks stood empty, while books, sand-covered DVDs and assorted debris were strewn across the muddy floor. A vending machine had toppled onto its side.

"It’s catastrophic," Lusak said.

The library closed indefinitely on Monday. It will take weeks to reopen its first floor as new electrical panels need to be installed, Lusak said. Library items should be returned to the Smithtown Library’s three other locations, in Nesconset, Commack and Kings Park.