Library trustees told Hayes that they are investigating what went wrong in the hurricane preparation.

Despite the problems, school board Trustee Matthew Paccione offered proof that the storm recovery effort extends far beyond Long Island. The president of the West Hempstead PTA, Paccione explained, had been in touch with a “friend of a friend” at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Temple, Texas, whose administrators asked if they could do anything to help. The school organized a collection and encouraged students to make donations, and because many Island Park students go to West Hempstead High School, Paccione said, he and Hayes suggested that the money Holy Trinity raised — the total has not yet been determined — go to the library.