I had planned to write my column about another topic this month, but Hurricane Ida changed that. This column is not about produce merchandising or best practices, it is about people and how in the worst of times we need each other the most.
Aug. 29 is a date that is lodged in the hearts and minds of everyone along the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast, but not just in 2021 with Hurricane Ida, but also Hurricane Katrina some 16 years to the day when it made landfall. And three other hurricanes that made landfall on Aug. 29 over the past 20 years in Louisiana.
As I watched Hurricane Ida progress toward the Louisiana Coast, wondering where it would make landfall … knowing from personal experience that for anyone to the east of where the storm passed there was going to be major or even catastrophic damage to property and lives, I had total recall of past hurricanes and the impact they had on me personally and the communities that were directly impacted by the storms.
It looks easy, but far from it
One thing the pandemic taught every community is that their local supermarket is a best friend, whether in a pandemic or in a hurricane. The market was there in the darkest times of the pandemic, never missing a beat. But how many really stopped to consider how the retailer made it happen? The fact is that food retailers are a lifeline to us all. When the sun is shining and life is going smoothly, we don’t give a second thought to going to a supermarket to get all the supplies needed for our home and other activities, fully expecting to have ample supply of what we need. And why shouldn’t we? Consumers have been conditioned that access to food is almost an after-thought in our nation; it just appears on the shelf, and we buy it, never considering what it took to get that product on the shelf.
Expect the unexpected
In all my years in retail — and especially living in a hurricane zone — there was an annual hurricane plan that was developed based on each region and how we would respond in any situation we could plan for. Those plans included where to strategically place generators and have pre-orders for fulfillment of necessities ready to execute before and after the storm; that list varied based on where there would be electricity and where it was not available. Considering that at that time our stores stretched over 300 miles east to west along the I-10 corridor, placing all stores in jeopardy of a landfalling hurricane, it was truly an incredible task and required asking ourselves the hard “what ifs” questions.
The most important resource was our team, preparing to close and secure stores before the storm and allowing associates to prepare and care for their families and personal items. Then, post-storm, to reopen stores, all while forecasting how many team members we may have available to reopen with. Truthfully, planning for every possible outcome is not possible; only previous experiences can provide a benchmark to avoid previous weaknesses in the plan.
After the storm
Once the storm has passed, the community has an immediate need to replenish their homes, depending on the severity of the impacts and damage within the area. The supermarket is generally one of the first businesses to reopen. I vividly remember returning from Hurricane Gustav in 2008 after evacuating, driving into the parish (county) we lived in and being stopped by state police because no one was allowed to come back in until roads were cleared. Except that, because of where I worked — a supermarket — we had clearance to get back in, assess damage and get our stores open to meet the needs of the community. With respect to first responders everywhere, if that doesn’t also sound like a first responder, it is very close to it.
Within a day or two people are getting anxious to buy food and supplies, and this is the time when a retailer must be prepared to execute their own recovery. Because as soon as the doors of the store are opened customers expect a regular selection of product — when, in most cases, there have been no deliveries made to the retailer; only the products that were in the store prior to the storm are what is available immediately after the storm. With some great planning and open roads to access the area, retailers will bring in loads of water, ice, bread, and other non-perishable foods that can be delivered. These are the immediate needs for all.
A time for empathy
When emotions are frayed and people are exhausted after days without electricity and air conditioning and just want a good meal, they turn to the supermarket first. Most often when stores begin to reopen they do so on a limited schedule and services based on ability and team members who are working. And when communications are down, as was the case with Hurricane Ida in some places, only cash can be accepted for transactions. And again, customers get upset over something the retailer has absolutely no control over.
This is where customers have an opportunity to express empathy to those who are there to meet their needs and are putting on hold their own needs and those of their own families. However, many times impatience and a lack of appreciation mean empathy is completely lost — and at the very moment when it is needed.
The human equation
I find it intriguing that so many people are quick to say that a job in retail and in a supermarket is not real work … but when the chips are down and people need food and supplies, where do they turn? The supermarket. The most basic of needs is to have food for our families. And customers expect everything to be available and service to be perfect — and they should because it is also the expectation of the retailer as well. But the reality is the supply chain take days or weeks to recover, and once utilities are restored the demand for food increases many times above normal, which places an additional burden on suppliers, wholesalers and the retailer to meet the extreme demand.
These events also create an emotional and physical toll that is not immediately obvious, but truly could be categorized as PTSD. Reacting to the situation is almost like being in a state of shock: at that moment nothing else matters but getting the job done, taking care of the customer before anything else … it is only later when the adrenaline rush has passed that it hits you. Desperation is not too strong of a word to use for the emotions that some fall into … all things that the customer never sees.
A way forward
Time has a way of making some experiences vivid, while others fade away. As I see it, each time a natural disaster happens the public has the same needs and those they depend on to be there in their time of need have the same challenges to overcome. So how can we move past the same needs and same challenges on every occurrence? It begins with planning and communication.
People forget, whether they choose to or not, how difficult the situation was in the previous experience. Gentle nudges, reminders at point of sale, in an e-mail or on the shopping app of things that will happen or will not happen in the event of a known impending natural disaster can be helpful. Certainly, a retailer cannot be responsible for a person’s decision to plan or not. But what they can do is remove the surprise when customers don’t prepare beforehand.
Update post-Hurricane Ida – two weeks later
The City of New Orleans is recovering, while areas outside of the metropolitan area are at varying stages of recovery based on the severity of the storm, especially those communities south and west of the storm’s path.
Certainly, there is much repairing and rebuilding to do, but the good news is that the risk reduction flood protection system that was built after Katrina to protect New Orleans worked as designed. That said, many communities outside of the flood protection system did receive flooding and those areas will have an extended recovery.
As we now know, Hurricane Ida was not only a Gulf Coast impact. The Northeast, especially Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, were devastated by remnants of Ida several days after it made landfall. Those communities too will be dealing with a recovery — and the local supermarket will be there to meet their needs, just like in Louisiana.
This column is part of a series by Joe Watson, who spent 30-plus years as the director of produce for Rouses Markets and was named Produce Retailer of the Year and to The Packer 25 in 2014. Joe now serves as a vice president of member engagement and as the retail and foodservice subject matter expert for PMA.