Gulf Coast

WASHINGTON, DC—09/02/08—Hurricane Gustav hits the Gulf Coast and the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is helping the Federal Government respond to this natural disaster. In preparation for the hurricane, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is once again turning to GPO and the GPOExpress program for printing communication materials during response and recovery efforts. The program is in collaboration with FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko’s), which uses state-of-the-art technologies to support printing needs for all three branches of the Federal Government. This nationwide convenience printing agreement allows Federal Government personnel to place orders at any of the 1,700 FedEx Office Print

History will show 2005 to be the year that the United States government, particularly its Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), fell asleep at the helm during Hurricane Katrina. More than six months after the storm that devastated the Gulf Coast, washing away hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses and taking 1,300 lives, former FEMA Director Michael Brown and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff were among the poster children for the government’s utter failure to react to the tragedy. Blame has been abundant and, ultimately, the saga left a deep scar on the Bush Administration. This tragic and sorry episode in American history has

THE GULF COAST—It was, in the words of Ed Chalifoux, a tale of two cities in and around New Orleans. Neither story offered a happy conclusion. Chalifoux, the Printing Industry Association of the South's (PIAS) president, embarked on a 2,000-mile drive to visit members in the Mississippi cities of Jackson and Biloxi, and Louisiana cities including Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The Big Easy offered a Jekyll and Hyde perspective. "...in the western section of New Orleans, I saw green grass, businesses open and people returning to their homes—a community trying to get back to normalcy," Chalifoux wrote in a letter to PIAS members. "Normal is

NEW ORLEANS—As the Gulf Coast continues to rebuild in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the printing industry—like much of the country—is doing whatever it can to ease the hardships experienced by the displaced citizens. For example, Xerox has pledged $2 million in cash and technical assistance. During PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05, Böwe Bell + Howell and Komori Corp., among others, announced donations and employee matching funds for relief groups such as the American Red Cross. The Graphic Arts Show Co. also sought charitable contributions from show attendees. According to Ed Chalifoux, president of the Printing Industry Association of the South (PIAS)—which covers