Even as the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation continues to raise funds to dispense to booksellers in need, other organizations and bookstores in the South are doing what they can to provide information and assistance to their fellow booksellers most affected by Hurricane Helene. That includes the stores in North Carolina’s hard-hit western region, where the mountainous terrain has hampered government relief and recovery efforts.

While Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) executive director and Asheville resident Linda-Marie Barrett remains sidelined by the hurricane’s impact, Nicki Leone, SIBA communications director, and Candice Huber, membership coordinator, have stepped up to fill her shoes.

Over the course of the past week, the duo compiled a database of local relief agencies and fundraising efforts sponsored by SIBA bookstores, a list of tools for emergency preparedness that booksellers throughout the South might seek or can offer, and a spreadsheet containing information received by the organization about the impact of the hurricane on a number of the 200 member bookstores in Helene's path. Links to the database and spreadsheet were included in SIBA’s newsletter, which was sent to its members yesterday, and the information is being updated as more is received.

“I have been amazed at what Nicki and Candice pulled together so quickly,” Barrett wrote in an email to PW.

Booksellers are also on the ground in the affected region, participating in relief and recovery efforts. Firestorm Books in Asheville, a collectively owned cooperative, reported on Instagram that its workers are safe and organizing with local organizations and individuals to provide assistance to people, including setting up a “repair café” behind the bookstore for chainsaws and generators.

“Donate via the link in our bio,” Firestorm urges on its Instagram page. “Funds will help us get supplies and tools to help our coaches continue what they do best, fixing. The communities in WNC need fixers now more than ever, and if you’ve ever been to our events you know our fixers aren’t outsourced—they are by and for their communities, our communities.”

In an email, Barrett praised Firestorm's efforts, writing: "Places like Firestorm Books are really stepping up as communication and response centers, those vital third places. I love them."

Main Street Books in Davidson, N.C., has delivered 14 trucks and SUVs full of supplies to western North Carolina and, along with other bookstores in the central and eastern parts of the state, continues to reach out to indies in the west with aid. The stores have compiled their own lists with booksellers' current contact information in order to help the American Booksellers Association and Binc determine which stores are affected, what their needs are, and how best to reach out to them, as well as to help them provide their fellow booksellers with moral support.

“I think that mostly we just wanted our fellow bookstore people to know that they not only have the incredible institutions that our literary community has to rely on in times of crisis like BINC, SIBA, and the ABA, but also to know that their bookstore colleagues across the state are reaching out and thinking about them and what they are going through,” Kimberly Daniels Taws, the owner of the Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, N.C., and one of the organizers of the group effort, wrote in an email to PW. “Sometimes just to know that you are not alone and that someone has your back gives you the confidence you need to do the hard things that can allow you to help your store to help your community. As we know more I am sure that we will be doing more to help our friends and colleagues. Contact, communication, and information was the first order of business.”

Publishers are helping as well. Mad Cave Studios, the 10-year-old, Florida-based indie comics and graphic novels publisher, announced on Friday afternoon that it has donated $10,000 to Binc to help comics and bookstores impacted by Hurricane Helene. "These businesses are at the heart of their communities, and many are struggling to recover from this disaster," said CEO and chief creative officer Mark London. "We encourage others to contribute what they can to help rebuild and support these vital shops that bring stories to life."

This story has been updated with further information.