Video: The Pratt City branch of the Birmingham Public Library sustained catastrophic
damage from an EF-4 tornado on April 27.
The April 27 tornadoes destroyed not only houses and businesses but also important community assets across Alabama. Birmingham’s Pratt City neighborhood was hit especially hard.
Its branch of the Birmingham Public Library, the centerpiece of the neighborhood since opening in 1993, was severely damaged in the storms and has been closed since.
Though the building was heavily damaged, many books escaped destruction
inside the Pratt City library.
To continue services to the area, library manager Deborah Drake Blackmon and staff members began working from the nearby East Ensley branch on June 1.
“Temporarily assigning Deborah and others to this facility made perfectly good sense, knowing we had to be prepared to handle summer reading programs and to relocate some of the Pratt City staff,” says Birmingham Public Library director Renee Blalock. “The two buildings were less than 2 miles apart.”
The East Ensley branch went from being open part time to the full-time schedule of the Pratt City branch, thanks to the additional personnel.
Meanwhile, cleanup continues at the Pratt City location.
“The high winds blew out all exterior windows and took portions of the roof off,” says Angela Fisher Hall, associate director of the Birmingham Public Library. “Books, furniture and computers were strewn all over the main reading area. Water … destroyed all computers, some books and furnishings.”
Thankfully, most of the books at the Pratt City branch are undamaged. Staff members are cleaning books that became wet to prevent mold, and the collections of the library’s small museum and historical archives are now stored at the downtown branch.
“Once the insurance adjuster completes his full assessment of the damage, we will determine what happens to all of the materials,” Hall says.
The East Ensley branch is located at 900 14th St., Ensley [map]. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information about the East Ensley Library, email Deborah Drake Blackmon at ddrake@bham.lib.al.us or call (205) 787-1928.
Also:
- Pratt City branch “likely a total loss.”
- Ways you can help April 27 tornado survivors
Slideshow: extensive damage to the Pratt City branch
