When Hurricanes Beryl (2024) and Melissa (2025) tore through the Caribbean, they left behind a trail of destruction — but also a few quiet victories. In Jamaica, one of those victories was found in the classrooms of 13 primary and infant schools built or renovated by the CHASE Fund. These schools, located in some of the hardest-hit areas, stood firm against the storms.
On February 4, 2026, the Fund reported, via a quarter-page, black-and-white advertisement in The Sunday Gleaner — most persons would not have recognised the import of the content — in eight- or nine-point font, that its strategy had succeeded. The message: its building strategy emphasised “structural integrity, improved roofing systems, reinforced foundations, and overall build quality”. In other words, resilience was not a motto or an afterthought — it was an integral part of the structures’ blueprint.
Implicit in its statement was a profound but simple argument. This is what preparedness looks like in practice: investments that withstand disasters, protect children, and double as community shelters when the winds howl. It is a tangible example of resilience, not the resilience that policymakers talk about.
The ODPEM’s supplement: Words without weight
Contrast the CHASE Fund’s advertisement with The Sunday Gleaner’s June 28, 2026 Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) six-page supplement for the current hurricane season, which officially began on June 1. None of the officials who contributed to the supplement, including ODPEM’s director general, appear to have read either Christopher Burgess’ November 16, 2025 Sunday Gleaner article, ‘Hurricane Melissa: Unprecedented and Underprepared’, or The Planning Institute of Jamaica’s 152-page booklet, Post-Disaster Needs Assessment of the Impact of Hurricane Beryl on Jamaica, July 3, 2024, to obtain background material before offering public exhortations.
The back-to-back events, their strengths, and scale of destruction created new records. The officials arguably failed to rise to the occasion and recognise the continuing threats posed by climate change. With that history and the prospects of a hurricane season already upon us, Jamaicans need more than platitudes. They require clear, actionable guidance: how to rebuild and retrofit houses, where to access community shelters, what standards to demand in construction, and how to participate in evacuation drills. Instead, ODPEM officials offered rhetoric.
On the other hand, CHASE presented the results of the implementation of its strategy. The difference is stark — and it matters. Because in the Caribbean, resilience is not a slogan. It is survival.
ODPEM could also have used the model adopted by the electricity provider, Jamaica Public Service, in its ‘How Come JPS?’ series of print advertisements about the current storm season. The content provided insights into how the company went about restoring electricity after a storm.
The Dominican Republic’s example: Finance as a safety net
While Jamaica engages in talks about preparedness, the Dominican Republic has boldly moved towards financial resilience. On June 30, 2026, the Insurance Development Forum highlighted how that country has embedded parametric insurance into its adaptive social-protection system.
Here is how it works: When a hurricane or flood crosses a predefined threshold — say, wind speed or rainfall intensity — payouts are triggered automatically. Vulnerable households receive immediate financial support, without the delays and disputes that plague traditional insurance.
This innovation does more than provide cash. It safeguards livelihoods, reduces reliance on ad hoc aid, and strengthens fiscal stability. In short, it ensures that resilience is not only built into buildings, but also into the budgets of families who would otherwise be left exposed.
Connecting the dots
Taken together, these three narratives — CHASE’s schools, ODPEM’s newspaper supplement, and the Dominican Republic’s parametric insurance — offer a three-point road map for Jamaica.
Resilient infrastructure: CHASE has shown that stronger buildings can withstand stronger storms — and earthquakes, bearing in mind the two recent magnitude-7 earthquake events in Venezuela.
Specific policy: ODPEM must move beyond exhortations and provide citizens with concrete, community-level strategies to mitigate risks. It must focus on its mission.
Financial protection: Jamaica should explore embedding parametric insurance into its social-protection programmes, ensuring rapid payouts to vulnerable households.
Resilience is not one-dimensional. It is physical, policy-driven, and financial. To neglect any one of these pillars is to leave communities exposed.
What must be done next
Codify standards: Make CHASE’s construction principles the baseline for all public infrastructure.
Sharpen preparedness messaging: Replace vague calls to ‘be ready’ with detailed, actionable steps.
Adopt adaptive finance: Follow the Dominican Republic’s lead by integrating parametric insurance into social-protection systems.
Align institutions: Encourage collaboration between CHASE, ODPEM, the PIOJ, and the Ministry of Finance, tertiary educational institutions, insurance companies and other stakeholders, so that resilience is coordinated, not fragmented.
The country cannot afford half-measures. Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa were not anomalies; they were previews of what climate change promises. Jamaica has already seen what works — CHASE’s resilient schools — and what does not — ODPEM’s generic exhortations. The Dominican Republic has shown how financial innovation can protect the most vulnerable. Resilience is not a press release or a photo opportunity. It is not a slogan. It is a responsibility. And for Jamaica, the time to act is now.
If you require assistance with managing risks or resolving insurance issues, Cedric E. Stephens offers free counsel and advice. To obtain information and counsel, please write to the Business Editor at business@gleanerjm.com or contact Mr Stephens directly at aegisja@gmail.com. Letters and emails will be edited for clarity and length.
