At about 2 p.m. on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 28, we lost power. Hurricane Ian was about to make landfall only 5 miles north of our home. Our dock was already submerged, and the waves from the beginning of the storm surge were lapping against our sliding glass patio doors – only inches from the desk where I have spent countless hours advising clients.

During the next four hours, the water continued to rise, filling the office with dark, dirty, angry water. The 140 mph winds slowly worked to tear the siding and soffits off our home, but the structure held. Our boat also survived, elevated high on a lift, and secured tightly by six tie-down straps. Unfortunately, many of the boats in the Cape Harbor marina, only steps away from our home, were destroyed or sunk.

After the storm passed, having drained all the energy from the atmosphere, my wife and I were rewarded with a calm and peaceful sunny day. As we walked, dazed, through the neighborhood, we were dismayed by the terrible destruction we saw. As the pictures of destruction emerged from places like Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, and Captiva, we cried. The tears were driven, in part, by the amount of loss suffered by so many, but also the uncountable and incredible acts of human kindness.

Were it not for the practical hurricane safety advice we received from neighbors, strangers and friends on how best to prepare for Ian, we may have lost a lot more than we did. We were lucky because, as the storm churned north from Cuba towards our community, the residents of Cape Coral were looking out for one another and sharing their best advice. And, after the storm had moved across the state, everyone who could do so volunteered to help their neighbors and strangers alike.

Having received so much assistance and advice preparing for the massive storm, and then watching the recovery efforts unfold once the storm had passed, I was reminded of the incredible work performed by professionals in the food safety industry. As food safety professionals, you work countless hours ensuring that existing food safety programs are being appropriately executed, and looking tirelessly for new and innovative ways to make our food more safe. You accept the awesome responsibility of ensuring the health and safety of consumers, and thus reside amongst the greatest heroes in the history of civilization.

And, while working to make the world a better place, one meal at a time, you do so in a manner that sets competition aside. Food safety is not competitive. Like our neighbors who went selflessly door to door, providing advice and assistance to help prepare for the storm, or to help storm victims recover, you too work together as colleagues (in many cases from divergent companies) to share your best practices and your worst mistakes. And, by sharing the collective chorus of food safety solutions that have proved to be effective, we are all better off and, in the end, more safe.

So, as Jessica and I reflect on the devastation in Florida, we are reminded that it could have been much worse. Like, as is the case with pathogens or other hazards in food, the weather too can be unpredictable and, despite best efforts, create devastating risk. The key to our collective health, however, is to always work together, to always continue to share our experiences, and to always endeavor to make our industry stronger.

Indeed, Ian has proven that hurricane safety is not competitive. And, so too in the food industry, if we work together, we can also weather any storm.

Food (and hurricane) safety is not competitive

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