Madeline And Curious George Safe After Children's Library Flood

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Once upon a time, a plumbing issue at the New Rochelle Public Library caused the children's room to be temporarily closed to the public, but the beloved books, safe on their shelves, lived happily ever after.

A plumbing malfunction on Thursday night, drenched a large section of the floor in the children's room at the library. The minor flood caused by a malfunctioning toilet was quickly addressed, but a sodden carpet left library officials with no choice but to close the section of the library.

Library Director Tom Geoffino said that although the carpet appears to have been the only part of the library to suffer water damage, some shelving units had to be removed to assess the condition of the floor.

"Happily, our book/non print collections, furniture and technology were not impacted by this incident," Geoffino told Patch in a statement. "We expect to fully reopen the room once we reestablish the shelving units with the collections in place. In the meanwhile, the children’s staff will continue to provide service to the public in relation to access to collections currently accessible. Of course, our outdoor summer programming will begin on July 6th. And our terrific Huguenot Children’s Library is fully open for our community."

The unexepected closing came at an unfortunate time for families who had been relying on the child- friendly space as a place to beat the heat during this week's dangerously high temperatures and humidity. The New Rochelle Public Library was among the locations city officials recommended as a shelter from the recent extreme weather.

SEE ALSO: Stay Inside Or Come Here To Stay Cool: City Warns Seniors