As the country prepares for the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says the Government is strengthening the country’s disaster risk financing framework to bolster recovery efforts and respond to the needs of citizens.Addressing the National Disaster Risk Management Council Meeting, he said that these instruments, which include catastrophe bonds, have enhanced Jamaica’s ability to respond to shocks.“I am pleased to say that we floated our third catastrophe bond, I believe, successfully, which showed from the international community that there is an appetite for Jamaica, and it was with great success that we were able to do that.“The Minister of Finance, as we speak, she is overseas. She sent me a little note to say that in terms of the CCRIF (Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility), which is the regional disaster insurance fund, that she has started a new round of negotiations to expand the programme, to include a coastal programme for our fishers, so that they will have some coverage and protection. So, we are broadening the umbrella of protection through fiscal resilience,” he said.The National Disaster Risk Management Council Meeting was held at the Office of the Prime Minister on May 27.The catastrophe bond provides rapid access to funding following a disaster, helping to protect lives, livelihoods, and economic stability while supporting faster recovery efforts.Holness said that disaster preparedness is not only about shelters, relief supplies and emergency services, noting that “a country must also have financial readiness”.“If you have no money, you cannot respond. In fact, if you have no money, you have to wait on others to come to respond. This Government was able to respond immediately after [Hurricane Melissa] because for the first time in a long time, this Government was able to save for a disaster… So, it’s savings, insurance, and then we were able to pre-position funds that we could get easy access to through borrowing,” he said.“If the Government wasn’t able to bring the funding for JPS (Jamaica Public Service Company) to bring in the crews to restore the electricity, today we would be saying we don’t have any electricity in some of the parishes. That is fiscal resilience,” Holness said.“Government planned, put in place a catastrophe bond, which yielded a payment, and then we used the funds strategically for the recovery of critical public services,” he pointed out.The Government extended a loan of US$150 million to JPS to support the restoration of electricity following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.Holness said that disaster preparedness is not an annual event, noting that it is a perpetual state of national responsibility.“Hurricane Melissa reminded us that resilience is built long before the storm arrives, in our policies, investments, institutions, and communities. Let us leave this meeting with urgency and clarity. The time for review is ending, the time for execution is now,” he said.“We must build a Jamaica where infrastructure can withstand hazards, communities can sustain themselves during disruption, information flows quickly, relief reaches those most in need fairly, reconstruction reduces vulnerability rather than recreates it, and resilience becomes part of how we govern. Let us move forward with seriousness, with unity of purpose, and confidence in our ability to build a more resilient Jamaica,” he added.Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.