Hurricane Sandy ripped apart the East Coast. People died, mass transportation was shut down, millions of people lost power, homes and businesses were destroyed. This is a small list describing the adverse effects caused by Hurricane Sandy. The Wall Street Journal estimates that Sandy created monetary damages in the billions.[1]
One of the biggest issues all over the East Coast was the vast amount of people who lost power. Now, a week after Hurricane Sandy, people residing in West Virginia to parts of New York, still do not have electricity.[2]
During the storm, those who were fortunate enough to have power began constantly seeing notices of businesses temporarily shutting their doors and school closings on the news. This excerpt is from a storm alert Long Island University issued: “Due to power outage on Long Island as a result of Hurricane Sandy, there will be no access to most databases, ebooks, and ejournals in the university library. The Library Catalog continues to operate properly.”[3]
This really hurt school students who depended on digital books for their studying and research work. Without power, e-books cannot be charged and internet searches are inaccessible. Printed books, however, do not depend on anything else to be used. Students were able to visit the Long Island University Library and read and access all printed books. Reliable and convenient, books did not waver in accessibility during the storm.
Photos were shown on the news of notable acts of kindness. One home in Hoboken that did have power set up a power strip outside their residence for people to charge their phones. In a power outing, having a cell phone with a dead battery is enough trouble, why would you want to have to deal with the burden and worry of charging your reading device also? Isn’t there enough to worry about? Books allow people to K.I.S. Keep It Simple!
Even Governor Cuomo advised the people of New York to “stay at home, be prepared, enjoy the family, read a book.”[4] Books are a reliable comfort that people can depend on, always. Go print and you shall not go wrong.
The P.A. Hutchison Company 