From MSNBC:
It was eerily quiet at Aaron Waugh’s fireworks stand in Princeton, W.Va.
“Pretty slow, pretty slow,” he concluded. “More people need to come in.”
The solitude at Rocket World, which opened last week, is being replicated at fireworks shops and seasonal stands across the country. Just a few days before the Fourth of July weekend, fireworks sales are down dramatically.
It’s a double blast. Authorities scared of setting off wildfires in drought conditions have imposed new bans on fireworks displays across a swath of the West and the Southwest. At the same time, a massive explosion at fireworks factories in China created a global shortage that has driven prices beyond the means not only of many backyard revelers but even of many local governments, forcing them to cancel municipal celebrations.
Here's a press release on the issue from the National Fireworks Association:
International Shipping Problems Affect the US Fireworks Industry
2008 is proving to be a very difficult year for the Fireworks Industry in the United States.
Recent problems in China which include a shortage of shipping lines and ports, are now causing a severe shortage of fireworks. This will affect both consumer fireworks stores and stands, as well as the annual July 4th Display in many cities and towns across America. Most companies are reporting dramatic increases in both product and shipping costs. Many companies are reporting a severe shortage of inventory as fireworks that have been ordered and in many cases, paid for, are still sitting in China with little or no chance to arrive in time for the busy July 4th season.
Reports from China indicate that the current port accepting fireworks for shipment may close at any time as China prepares for the Olympic Games.
Fireworks Company owners are at a loss as they have no control over the severe price increases nor the lack of shipping coming from China.
There is no indication when or if this situation will get better.
