The
television images and news accounts of the devastation from Hurricane Harvey
remind me of what unfolded after New Orleans' Hurricane Katrina, and of what I
witnessed first-hand 25 years ago in South Florida with Hurricane Andrew. My heart and prayers go out to those who
contributed to the rescue and recovery effort.
Estimates
of 47 dead and 160 billion dollars in damages have been made by officials. Some 600,000 cars may have been destroyed and
at least 100,000 homes destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. It’s a real mess, though thankfully the death
toll appears far, far lower than the 1,833 from Katrina and similar to the 65
of Andrew, and 49 of Hurricane Irene in 2011.
Just for some perspective, in 1998, Hurricane Mitch, which hit part of Florida but did its damage in the Caribbean Islands, killed over 19,000 people.
Just for some perspective, in 1998, Hurricane Mitch, which hit part of Florida but did its damage in the Caribbean Islands, killed over 19,000 people.
As
we look at the economic and societal toll Harvey will make on Texas, I wonder: How many bookstores and libraries have been destroyed or forced to close? How many books – in people’s homes, cars,
offices, and business – were destroyed?
Could more than a million books have perished from the storm?
The
Houston area will take years to rebuild and could come out of it a bit smaller
but stronger for it. All of the insurance
money and government assistance can create a mini-boom to the local
economy. But the city will never be the
same and it will never forget what it went through. Despite the potential for Houston to renew
itself, the nation’s fourth-largest city will confront growing pains as it
seeks to figure out how to prosper knowing that it has no defense for a storm
that can easily pierce its borders any time.
Books,
made of paper, are especially vulnerable to water damage from any kind of
storm. If each of the destroyed homes had
10 books, apiece, that’s a million books gone.
The graveyard of books, is likely bigger. Some homes had dozens or hundreds of books in
them.
Could
there be a mini-boom for the book world as some of these lost books get
replaced? It’s not exactly how the book
industry planned to grow, but nevertheless, we could see an increase in book
sales down the road.
Right
now displaced people need housing and to have their immediate survival needs
met -- food, clothing, and access to healthcare, school, and employment. It’s a rough road ahead over there. Books may not be on their minds right
now.
But when they do turn their attention back to books, the industry will be there to support them with titles that help nurture the soul, comfort the depressed, and inspire those looking to move onward. There will be books to escape to with fantastic stories and there will be tomes that give historical perspectives and how-to’s on how a city recovers from a disaster.
Books will always comfort and enlighten us and in times of any disaster they will help to begin the healing process.
But when they do turn their attention back to books, the industry will be there to support them with titles that help nurture the soul, comfort the depressed, and inspire those looking to move onward. There will be books to escape to with fantastic stories and there will be tomes that give historical perspectives and how-to’s on how a city recovers from a disaster.
Books will always comfort and enlighten us and in times of any disaster they will help to begin the healing process.
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