Heavy Rain Causes Flooding In Pawnee Public Library

Friday was a soggy start to the holiday weekend for some; especially in Pawnee, where the library and the bath house closed because of flooding.

The Pawnee Public Library is facing about $10,000 worth of damage, but employees say, thankfully, they won't need to be replacing any books.

If there is ever a great excuse to not return a book to the library on time -- this is it.

"There was standing water in this room it was about 2 and a half to 3 inches over there," said library director Kathy McKinnis.

If there is ever a great excuse to not return a book to the library on time, this is it, but late fees are the last thing on McKinnis’ mind.

"The carpet probably needed to be shampooed, however, that may not be an issue anymore. We'll have to wait and see," she said.

7/1/2016 Related Story: 6+ Inches Of Rainfall Causes Flooding In Pawnee County

Across town, the Pawnee Street Department has a mess of its own. Director Jerry Rolland said the rain caused sewage to back up through the drainage system.

And at Memorial Field, flooding caused a change of plans for the 70th Annual Pawnee Indian Veterans Homecoming Powwow.

"We've been doing this every year, consistently, since WWII, and it's to honor and welcome home all veterans," said Matt Reed with the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma.

Reed said Friday night's activities will likely be moved indoors to the Wellness Center.

"I mean, what we're looking at here, except for the center part, was just covered in water," he said.

But the water won't put a damper on the event, or on McKinnis' determination to get the library back to a quiet, dry place to be.

"This is not gonna be a very, not a very exciting Fourth of July weekend, I don't think. We're all gonna be down here doing this all weekend, but that's okay," she said.

McKinnis already planned to have the library closed for the Fourth of July weekend. She said it's too soon to tell if it will need to be closed any longer because of the clean-up process.