Most bookstores will never have to deal with severe flooding, but for those in high-risk areas, FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program offers coverage provided by national carriers that can be purchased through LIBRIS, the ABA insurance company, or another licensed broker.

RiverRead Books in Binghamton, New York, and Farley’s Bookshop in New Hope, Pennsylvania, are both fine structurally, but are operating in cities that were heavily affected by flood damage and had mandatory evacuations last week.

SBA Offers Free Disaster Preparedness Webinars; Man Booker Shortlist Announced

Most bookstores on the East Coast survived Hurricane Irene intact and were able to reopen within a day or so, but several were severely damaged, including North Carolina’s Manteo Booksellers and Vermont’s Bartleby’s Books.

After record flooding in Minot, North Dakota, one third of the city is under water, but Val Stadick’s home and her bookstore, Main Street Books, are dry. Stadick is focusing her energy on helping friends and neighbors, but she also worries about the future of her business.

The Book Cellar in Brattleboro, Vermont, which was destroyed by a catastrophic fire on April 17, is closed indefinitely, but store staff is busy moving scheduled events to Bartleby’s, owner Lisa Sullivan’s second store.

Since the earthquake that shook New Zealand's South Island on September 3, Booksellers New Zealand, the organization representing the country’s independent bookshops as well as major retail chains, is finding ways to stay involved and reach out to its members.

Six weeks after the capping of the BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, booksellers along the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama reported varying effects on their businesses, but all said they were looking forward to the fall season.

With autumn comes flu season, but this year's outbreak of swine flu, or 2009 H1N1, adds new urgency to preparations for combating spread of the diseases. To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 2009 H1N1 influenza virus "continues to be the dominant influenza virus in circulation in the world."

Pass Christian Books, which was leveled in Hurricane Katrina, has finally moved back to downtown Pass Christian, Mississippi. After the 2005 storm, co-owners Rich Daley and Scott Naugle operated online and out of their homes, then moved to a temporary storefront on the outskirts of town. On April 1, the bookstore reopened near its former location.