How Jamaica’s Preparedness Delivers After a Devastating Hurricane

When Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, it brought torrential rain, landslides, and winds of more than 252 miles per hour. The damage was severe. Yet, amid the destruction, the government could say something that few small island states can say after a category 5 hurricane: Jamaica was financially ready to mount an immediate response. The Prime Minister announced that Jamaica could access up to US $1.5 billion through a mix of savings, credit lines, and insurance payouts.  

This readiness was no accident. It reflects years of sustained investment to build one of the most advanced, multi-layered disaster risk-financing systems globally -a journey the World Bank has been part of from the beginning. 

A system built before the storm 

Over the past decade, the Government of Jamaica has worked closely with the World Bank to build fiscal buffers and invest in financial instruments designed to respond to disasters of varying frequency and impact. 

When Hurricane Melissa hit, those systems were activated as intended.

Within days, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF)-originally developed with World Bank support-confirmed a record US$70.8 million payout to Jamaica on its cyclone policy. A second payout of US$21.1 million for heavy rainfall soon followed, bringing Jamaica's total support to nearly US$92 million-the largest combined payout in the Facility's history. This rapid infusion of funds helped the Government to meet immediate recovery needs while broader damage assessments continued. 

Complementing this, Jamaica's US$150 million catastrophe bond-arranged through the World Bank Treasury and renewed in 2024- was confirmed for full payout, with funds disbursed on the 1st of December.

Alongside these mechanisms, the Government of Jamaica has requested access to its  Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat DDO)-a pre-arranged credit line that provides quick access to a maximum of US$84 million for emergency response and early recovery.  

To ensure that financing can be translated quickly into action on the ground, all World Bank projects for Jamaica also include Contingent Emergency Response Components (CERCs). These built-in mechanisms allow project funds to be rapidly redirected to emergency response and recovery, enabling projects to pivot immediately when disaster strikes.

Together, these instruments have provided Jamaica with rapid access to liquidity-enabling one of the fastest and most comprehensive financial responses to a major hurricane in the region's history.

However, financial readiness is only one part of Jamaica's story. Through investment projects supported by the World Bank, resilience is also being built into infrastructure and key public systems - including flood management, early warning, emergency response and community preparedness - to provide long term protection.

Through the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP), Jamaica has systematically strengthened critical infrastructure across the island-from coastal defenses and improved drainage systems to new emergency preparedness and response facilities-boosting resilience for more than 1.6 million Jamaicans. When Hurricane Melissa struck, several DVRP-supported facilities and systems proved critical.  

The state-of-the-art Montego Bay Fire Station supported emergency operations as far west as Westmoreland-some 59 kilometers away-a parish among those worst affected on Jamaica's south-west coast. In Old Harbour-an area long vulnerable to flooding when the nearby Big Pond overflows-upgraded drainage systems helped protect communities. The project team, led by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, received heartfelt messages from residents. One of them, from Sarah Jean Riley, read: "The people of Old Harbour were spared from the deluge of the Big Pond. You had a vision and saw it through. On behalf of my too many relatives, a big thank you." 

The follow-on waterfront regeneration initiative Kingston Waterfront Improvement (KIWI) Project will build on that foundation, embedding resilience into the heart of urban development by designing a multi-use waterfront park and district that integrates climate adaptation, green infrastructure and inclusive community upgrades.  

"With KIWI, we are building resilience into the heart of the city. The series of projects integrate nature-based solutions, improved drainage, and coastal protection features so that communities and businesses are better prepared for future storms," said Rafeef Abdelrazek, Senior Urban Development Specialist and the project's Co-Task Team Leader. 

"Jamaica's experience underscores why financial and physical preparedness matters," said Lilia Burunciuc, World Bank Division Director for the Caribbean. "Jamaica's ability to mobilize resources within hours of the hurricane is a result of years of partnership paying off. Our task now is to build on that foundation so every country in the region can respond this fast when the next storm comes." 

As the country moves from response to recovery and reconstruction, new instruments-including other potential emergency financing and access to the Loss and Damage Fund for Small Island Developing States-will further strengthen Jamaica's safety net. 

Hurricane Melissa was an unprecedented test of everything Jamaica has built-and it has proven to work. That experience can now help others in a region all too familiar with natural disasters.