Disasters/Relief

On Tuesday, September 20, the Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF) Board convened via conference call to establish administrative guidelines and a process for distribution of monies from the fund, which was established by ABA in response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

As the Gulf Coast works toward reconstruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the book industry is building initiatives to assist those affected by the storm.

As news stories about the death, suffering, and destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina are replaced by accounts of the early steps the public and private sectors are taking toward reconstruction, the book industry, too, continued its initiatives to assist Gulf Coast residents affected by the storm.

In a piece on coping with the effects of disaster in today's issue of Bookselling This Week, Neal Coonerty encourages those dealing with disaster to "accept contributions ... and help."

By Neal Coonerty, Owner of Bookshop Santa Cruz

Every disaster brings its own unique destruction. The Gulf Coast devastation that resulted from Hurricane Katrina is Biblical in scope, overwhelming with sorrow, and is our national shame to bear. In the midst of all this death and human suffering, it is hard to think about dealing with the problems created for businesses in a disaster zone. But we do, because healing involves recreating a healthy community that includes such businesses as independent bookstores.

Booksellers and others in the book industry have been passionate respondents to the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. After first watching the loss of life and homes with horror, independent business owners have felt additional distress for those who face, at best, the daunting task of repairing damage done to their bookstores, or, at worst, the prospect of abandoning their ruined enterprises and, with it, their livelihoods.

Booksellers and others in the book industry have been passionate respondents to the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. After first watching the loss of life and homes with horror, independent business owners have felt additional distress for those who face, at best, the daunting task of repairing damage done to their bookstores, or, at worst, the prospect of abandoning their ruined enterprises and, with it, their livelihoods.

A week after New Orleans' levees broke, unleashing devastation on the city, the full scope of Hurricane Katrina's damage has yet to be realized. With the major levee break repaired and the Army Corps of Engineers now pumping water out of the beleaguered city, anxious friends and relatives of those still missing brace for what will be found when the flood waters are gone. For most, the future is uncertain: They have lost their homes, their businesses, and, in the worst circumstances, loved ones.

As BTW went to press today, ABA learned that Michele Lewis of Afro-American Book Stop and Mary Price Dunbar of Beaucoup Books, both of New Orleans, were both safe and staying with family in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Nashville, Tennessee, respectively. Lewis reported losing her home and her stores to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. In addition, former bookseller and ABA Board member Kevin McCaffrey was out of New Orleans when the storm struck and was safe.

The American Booksellers Association is announcing the creation of a Bookseller Relief Fund to assist booksellers affected by Hurricane Katrina. Contributions to the fund will be accepted, and ABA is seeding the relief fund with an opening donation of $25,000.

In the aftermath of Katrina, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), UPS, and FedEx report significantly impacted operations in hurricane-affected areas. Delivery services in some of those areas are currently unavailable or are very limited.

Here is a listing of information from USPS, UPS, and FedEx about suspended and/or delayed service:

As the weakened Hurricane Katrina headed north from the battered Gulf Coast, dangerous floodwaters rose in New Orleans on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the historic city became the epicenter of what might be the largest natural disaster in the U.S. since the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.

It was a day of fear, drama, and concern as Hurricane Katrina, a raging Category 4 storm, reached land after gathering strength over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

By this afternoon, the storm had moved inland and weakened to a Category 2 storm, but, when it made landfall east of New Orleans at 6:10 a.m., it blew winds of 145 miles per hour with driving rain.