Hurricane Helene's Aftermath: 'We Will Recover, Rebuild and Come Back Strong'

Clean-up at Book + Bottle, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Helene's deadly path of destruction over the weekend wreaked havoc across the Southeast, from Florida, where the hurricane made landfall, to Western North Carolina, which has been hit by devastating floods, as well as power and cell service outages.

Many affected areas are still digging out and assessing post-storm damage. Several independent bookstores in the storm's path checked in on social media to share their situations, along with offering support to their communities and bookselling colleagues, including:

North Carolina
Sassafras on Sutton, Black Mountain: "Black Mountain has suffered a devastating blow. Sassafras is closed until further notice. Thankfully I've just now talked to our manager Kathleen and assistant manager Debbie. Both are safe. I pray the rest of my staff is too. The town though will take some time to come back. There is no water, food, gas, cell service, wifi or power. The lack of water is the most urgent need. No one can get in or out right now, and the situation is dire. Debbie was able to get to our store last night and said there is some water inside but much less than she anticipated. Sassafras will survive!

"I have no idea how long it will take to restore power, fix the roads, and get things to a point where we can open. There has been substantial loss of life and property. There are houses in the road. People are missing. Roads and bridges are missing. Our beloved town needs prayer and help. We can't wait to welcome everyone back to Black Mountain and Sassafras. We anticipate an extended closure. We will need you when we reopen! There are so many areas and towns that will never be the same. I know we are not the only ones. But we will recover, rebuild and come back strong. Until we see you again in person, be well and stay safe!"

Belmont Bookshop, Belmont: "Walking up to the shop this morning, we weren't sure what to expect, but we were met with y'all waiting to see if we were open. Well, no power, no problem. We're open!... [Later] The power is back, the lights are on, the Treehouse is open, and the beverages are chilling! Thank you to everyone who came to our dark, ambience-filled shop and for your patience. And thank you to @duke_energy for all your hard work in getting things running again! We made the dark work, but we're happier with the light."

Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville: "Not much to update. Many of us are scattered around WNC, some can't leave their neighborhoods. When we'll reopen is TBD, stay safe and take care of each other in the meantime. We'll see you soon."

Firestorm Books, Asheville: "Our co-op is physically intact and our members are accounted for. We've fared better than many but we're experiencing this crisis physically and emotionally. We're exhausted, largely without power, water, or internet.... We'll continue to act as an in-person resource and information hub, open from noon to 4pm."
 
MacIntosh Books + Paper, Sanibel, Fla.

Florida
MacIntosh Books + Paper, Sanibel: "This is the only picture I took. Nice try, Helene! We cleaned and cleaned (with a lot of help from our friends!) and I'm happy to report that we'll be reopening next Tuesday, 10/1. It'll take time, but we'll have minimal loss. I'm thankful for so much today. Community, friendship and family. My heart breaks for those who won't have it so easy. We have felt their pain and we have walked their road. Looking forward to helping where I can!"

Copperfish Books, Punta Gorda: "Hello, friends! Hurricane Helene came and went, and we hope everyone stayed safe through the storm. It was a reminder of how unpredictable life can be, but there's one constant we can always count on: a great book.... Whether you're unwinding after the storm or just looking for your next escape, we hope you find something you'll love."

Blinking Owl Books, Fort Myers: "Hey y'all, Thank you to everyone who has checked in on us and offered their support. It truly means the world to us. Unfortunately, we have confirmation that the shop has flooded as of this evening. We're hoping that we'll be able to get into the shop tomorrow, but that's entirely dependent on the flood waters around the shop receding, as currently the surrounding streets are fully flooded, and those waters are still rising. We'll update you when we know more, but unfortunately, this means that the shop will be closed until further notice. Our thoughts are also with our friends and neighbors tonight, as we know we're unfortunately not the only ones in this situation once again." (Quick Friday update)

Book + Bottle, St. Petersburg: "B+B friends, we have weathered the storm and will be open today during normal hours. For those affected by Hurricane Helene we are sending lots of love and are thinking of you at this time! For resources and help please go to @pinellasgov and @stpetefl! If you have the opportunity, please support your local small businesses at this time. And if it is safe for you to come visit us, we'll be happy to be your safe haven during this time!"

The Island Bookshop, Venice: "Good morning Everyone. We are here today. We are ok but we know a lot of our neighbors are not. We wish everyone well. We hope to see your faces downtown."

The Lynx, Gainesville: "No power? NO PROBLEM! We are still without power at The Lynx, but we came prepared! Books, puzzles, gifts, and more inside today. Fight the power with no power as we close out Banned Books Week! Please note that our cafe service is closed until power returns."

Portkey Books, Safety Harbor: "Still no power at the bookstore. If you happen to walk by and see the owl lamp in the window on, text 727-248-0211 to let us know when power is restored.... Update: We have power and are back to normal operations!"

Midtown Reader, Tallahassee: "We hope everyone stayed safe during the storm, and our hearts are with those in the community who were affected. We're happy to share that our store made it through without any damage, and our power is back!... We can't wait to see you!"

Georgia
The Stacks Bookstore, Savannah: "Come grab a book to soothe your power-outage blues. Yesterday we were open until 4 when the lack of AC got to be a little too much for us. We'll likely close early today as well so come see us in the morning!"

Righton Books, St. Simons Island: "To our neighbors, we hope you are all doing well in the face of yet another major storm here. For those of you who are not local to St Simons, Hurricane Helene packed quite a punch and 90+% of St Simons Island is without power. Needless to say, we will be closed until the power and internet are restored. At this time (Friday afternoon) we have absolutely no idea when that might be."

South Carolina
M. Judson Books, Greenville: "If you need a place to charge your things, to caffeinate, to connect to the Internet (yes!), to get out of the house, we're here. We loved taking care of you today, Greenville. We love watching you care for each other."

Fiction Addiction, Greenville: "The show must go on! We have a customer bringing us a generator in case our power is still out and Mr. [Nicholas] Sparks will be flying in tomorrow morning as planned. I hope you are all are safe and able to get out of your neighborhoods to attend. If not, we will get your book signed for you and arrange pickup afterward!"

Kentucky
Plaid Elephant Books, Danville: "Holy moly, y'all!!! I don't even have the words to say thank you to everyone who responded to our bad weather plea yesterday. In a normal week, we might get one or two online orders. This weekend, we've received 36--and counting!! You have officially saved this weekend and I am so grateful. Sometimes, as a small business owner, it feels like you have to always project success and strength. Thanks for letting me be vulnerable with the challenging side of this journey."

Tennessee
Our Place, Cosby: "Thankful the winds weren't as bad as they predicted, but there's a lot of widespread flooding in the area. Our Place is open today so stop in if you need anything."

Virginia
Blacksburg Books, Blacksburg: "Looking at the news this morning is heartbreaking. Blacksburg was relatively lucky, but parts of Appalachia are suffering greatly. TODAY, Saturday the 28th, 50% of all proceeds from books on our Appalachian shelf will go to Red Cross hurricane relief efforts in those areas. Please come help us help our neighbors."

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And Binc posted: "Everyone in the path of Hurricane Helene, stay safe! If you are a bookstore or comic shop owner or staff member, and the storm creates a financial emergency, reach out and we'll help if we can. If, as storm season continues, you need to evacuate ahead of a storm and you need help with evacuation expenses, reach out."

People seeking help can apply here. Those who want to support Binc in its mission to help can donate here.

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