Hurricane season is here. What’s giving me hope this year? Governments across the Caribbean are meeting it with real action. Storm after storm has reminded us that we are among the most vulnerable regions on earth, so being proactive is our only option. And right now, the region is stepping up:
– Representatives from 17 Caribbean nations gathered in Trinidad just before the season opened to advance a new generation of early warning systems designed to track storms and tell communities exactly who is at risk and what to do before impact arrives.
– Grenada is embedding resilient, green building standards directly into its national housing strategy.
– Dominica is planning for years ahead. Through DOMCREP, a US$26 million initiative with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, the island is upgrading emergency shelters, strengthening disaster infrastructure, and investing in climate-smart agriculture across its most vulnerable communities.
As an engineer, this is what I want to see. Resilient structures. Wind-rated systems. Smart drainage. Intelligent design. This is why I moved back to Dominica more than 20 years ago. And this is how we show up to work for our customers each day. We still have much more to do. But I believe this firmly: when we invest in resilient building, we’re truly investing in the ability of families and businesses to withstand what is coming and rebound faster when it arrives.
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