Tuesday night’s fast-moving storm through the county severely damaged the Lake Bluff warehouse of Bernie’s Book Bank, as wind gusts sheared off a section of its roof.

An estimated 50,000 books, meant for free distribution to at-risk Chicagoland students, were exposed to rainwater and debris from the elements.

Staff members and volunteers have worked to contain the damage, while salvaging as many children’s books as possible. The facility opened again Thursday, after assessing its inventory losses and structural concerns.

“It’s the beginning of the school year, and 300,000 children are counting on us to provide free books,” said Kristen Daniels, the book bank’s executive director. “We are devastated over the loss of any children’s books, but with over a million books in our facility, we are relieved the damage was contained quickly, and that no one was injured.”

The book bank is actively seeking donations to replenish the destroyed and unusable materials. Community book drop points are being organized, and monetary donations are also being sought through its website (www.berniesbookbank.org).

“The Bernie’s Book Bank team is hard at work evaluating the potential loss of more than 50,000 books affected by the storm damage,” said Darrin Utynek, the organization’s CEO. “It’s an unfortunate setback, but our trucks will be still be out delivering books to Chicagoland children and creating pathways to success through book ownership.”

The nonprofit organization was formed in 2009, and operates a 35,000-square foot facility at 917 North Shore Drive. Their goal is to improve literacy scores and enabling book ownership. A child is given eight age-appropriate books annually, from birth through the sixth grade. Inventory is accumulated through book donors, investors, and publishers.

Since its inception, the bank has given away more than 24.5 million books. This year, they are serving more than 1,200 under-resourced schools and early childhood programs in communities throughout Lake, Cook, McHenry, DuPage, and Will counties.

The operation began in the garage of Brian Floriani, a reading paraprofessional with Zion’s Shiloh Park Elementary School. He tutored struggling readers, and wanted to put books in the home. The book bank was named for his father, who valued education.

In July 2017, they built a pyramid of 144,000 books in their warehouse to draw attention to the literacy problem. It was certified as the largest by the Guinness Book of World Records certified it as the largest construction of its type.

“It raised awareness,” said Sarna Goldberg, the bank’s director of marketing. “It was a community building effort and a calling card to collect more books for at-risk children in Lake and Cook counties.”

For now, the focus is on cleaning up the damage, organizing and acquiring more donations, along with getting the books out to where they are needed.

“We are grateful for the community’s support, and hope to welcome back our volunteers very soon,” said Daniels.