Smithtown Library district voters on Tuesday approved a $16.5 million bond referendum to renovate the namesake branch after it sustained significant damage from August's historic flooding.

Voters approved the bond referendum by a margin of 997 to 413, giving the go-ahead for the library to proceed with plans to renovate the branch on North Country Road, library officials said.

The building closed for nine months after the storm on Aug. 18-19 dropped up to 10 inches of rain across the North Shore of Suffolk County.

The storm caused more than $21 million in damage to the building, including to books, CDs, DVDs and historic documents.

The branch reopened on May 5, but only on the main level. Library officials are looking to renovate the building with repairs to the basement. The plan also calls for new programs and services.

The library expects the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse most of the project's costs, Newsday previously reported. The district also plans to tap into reserve funds. 

The bond is expected to increase annual library district taxes by an average of $36 to $392, officials previously told Newsday.