One could almost feel the team spirit beginning to surface as Hurricane Nicole rumbled with ferocious power towards our island Bermuda. There was little doubt that we would all be in for one of nature’s most feared storms, which showed no sign of shifting its course from giving us a direct hit.

Over many decades during such times, Bermudians from all walks of life disregard political status, or business positions, to interact with just about anyone. The feeling is that what the island would be facing from a monster storm such as Nicole would simply mean we are all in this together.

The word “together”, under such circumstances is vital because no one knew who would be needing whom should things take a turn for the worse. That possibility is always present during the destructive power of a hurricane.

Very fresh in everyone’s mind was the massive destruction recently by Hurricane Matthew, which left a trail of death and destruction to parts of the Caribbean, and the United States East Coast, where many are still struggling in badly flooded areas, with countless homes destroyed.

The knowledge that hurricanes can be deadly is enough to humble just about everyone.

When huge storms approach, our communities seem closer than ever in looking out for one another without any thought about ethnicity, race or political persuasion.

It is as though there is clear understanding that the storm is bigger than us all, and working closely together would give us a better chance to get through the ordeal only as a community team. The emergency services consisting of the Royal Bermuda Regiment, Bermuda Police Service, Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service and medical teams, along with Belco, pooled their resources as the Government kept the drum beating for the island to adhere to instructions to promote safety throughout and to take the impending storm seriously. It would appear the public did just that. Although we experienced gusts up to 130mph, which would cause damage anywhere, we emerged without loss of life or serious injury.

Whether we will be blessed with such an outcome on another occasion is not promised, but an important lesson is that when confronted with adversity on a large scale, not having the ability to combine strengths as a team might have reduced effectiveness in meeting the challenge.

As Bermuda begins the task of regrouping as an island-wide community, we should also be grateful to the men and women of the various emergency services who willingly take frontline roles to keep us all safe and secured. They must never be taken for granted.

Hurricane Nicole has taken its place in the history books of storms that have battered our shores. Let us all learn from each experience because there will always be challenges in various areas of our community lives, and it may be best to remember that working together, no matter how difficult, will produce a greater opportunity for success.

We should not need another storm to teach us that team spirit is essential in making Bermuda a place where working together will always be the key to a brighter future.