Disasters/Relief

On Tuesday, March 14, a number of Gulf Coast booksellers who were severely affected by Hurricane Katrina came together at Galatoire's restaurant on Bourbon Street for an ABA Booksellers Forum, hosted by ABA COO Oren Teicher, BookSense.com Director Len Vlahos, and Director of Special Projects David Walker.

Hurricane recovery is progressing slowly in New Orleans and southeastern Louisiana, and members of local arts and literary communities are facing tremendous challenges. In addition to coping with personal loss, they are faced with unprecedented cuts to public arts programs, private support jeopardized by a struggling economy, and the absence of vital community members who are scattered throughout the country.

The Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF) recently distributed $80,000 to Gulf Coast booksellers most severely affected by Hurricane Katrina. The disbursement was the second phase of a plan created by the Bookseller Relief Fund Board to provide humanitarian assistance to those most in need.

As reported previously in Bookselling This Week, the Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF) is now accepting applications for additional assistance under its Phase Two procedure. The owner of any retail bookstore establishment within the federally declared disaster area is eligible to apply.

The following bookstores, publishers, distributors, regional booksellers associations, and individuals have all generously contributed to the Bookseller Relief Fund, which was established by the American Booksellers Association in response to the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The second phase of the Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF) effort, established by the American Booksellers Association in response to the devastation wrought by this season's hurricanes, is now underway. Under Phase Two, a subcommittee of the Bookseller Relief Fund Board will consider more expansive requests for assistance from the owners of bookstores within federally declared disaster areas.

The first wave of Phase One Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF) grants will be mailed to 35 booksellers in the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast by the end of this week. The grants of $500 each are meant to provide assistance for temporary housing, food, clothing, transportation, medical expenses, and/or other personal items lost or damaged during the storms.

This week, as part of its continuing coverage of the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the booksellers of the Gulf Coast, Bookselling This Week talks to Scott Naugle of Pass Christian Bookstore in Pass Christian, Mississippi, and New Orleans booksellers Britton Trice of Garden District Bookshop, Cynthia Dike of Maple Street Books and Maple Street Children's, Tom Lowenburg of Octavia Books, and Joanne Sealy of DeVille Books.

Over a month after Hurricane Katrina unleashed its devastation on the Gulf Coast, those in the hardest hit areas are just now able to return to assess the damage to their homes and businesses. This week, BTW spoke to four of the affected booksellers, who are beginning to rebuild their lives.

To provide assistance to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as quickly as possible, the Bookseller Relief Fund Board created a two-phase relief process and set October 15 as the deadline for applications for relief under Phase One of the plan.

On Saturday, October 1, many ABA member booksellers joined in a special effort to raise money for the Bookseller Relief Fund, which is providing humanitarian aid to booksellers affected by disaster conditions in the Gulf Coast region, as well as for future emergency situations. Booksellers were encouraged to donate a percentage of the day's sales (to be determined by the individual store) to the fund, which is providing assistance for such items as temporary housing, food, clothing, transportation, medical expenses, and/or other personal items lost or damaged.

Since its inception, the Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF) has had the support of booksellers, publishers, distributors, regional associations, and others in the book industry. Last week, the fund was bolstered even further, when Independent Publishers Group President Mark Suchomel presented a check for $25,000 to the BRF.

The American Booksellers Association is encouraging as many member stores as possible to join together on Saturday, October 1, to raise funds for the Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF), which will provide bookstore owners and employees with humanitarian relief for such items as temporary housing, food, clothing, transportation, medical expenses, and/or other personal items lost or damaged. (The funds will not be granted to rebuild a business.)

On Tuesday, September 27, the Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA) announced that it was matching ABA's initial contribution to the Bookseller Relief Fund with a $25,000 contribution from the SEBA Board Reserve Fund.

As the Gulf Coast region deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, most accounts coming out of the area indicate that, while the storm's wrath was devastating in its destructive force in some areas, the consequences could have been far more tragic. First projected to hit the Houston area, the storm veered eastward to less populated areas. Nonetheless, Rita still packed a terrible and tragic punch, hitting towns along the Texas-Louisiana border with over 100-mph winds and leaving them under up to 15 feet of water.