In brief
In the wake of Hurricane Irma, residents of islands in the Caribbean, particularly Barbuda, are grappling with steep home insurance premiums, which have surged by up to 40% in the past two years. Experts attribute this rise to intensifying storms and limited populations to share the risk. Many Barbudans remain uninsured, building homes ‘out of pocket’ instead, compounding the anxiety as they monitor weather forecasts during the peak hurricane season. Community resilience is a focal point, with aid from various organizations and increased preparedness measures proactively taken each year.
For some Barbudans, thunderstorms still trigger flashbacks of the night in September 2017 when they lost everything they owned to Hurricane Irma's devastating winds.
Eight years on, while memories may be close to hand, home insurance for many on Barbuda and other islands in the Caribbean's hurricane belt is more prohibitively expensive than ever.
Across the region premiums have gone through the roof in the past two years, surging by as much as 40% on some islands, according to industry figures.
Experts blame a perfect storm of increasing risk – as the region sees worsening and more rapidly intensifying cyclones – yet tiny populations of people to pay for policies, equating to poor returns for insurance companies.
Dwight Benjamin's Barbuda home was one of few left relatively undamaged by Irma. After the storm, he invested in a one-room extension topped with a concrete roof that will serve as a shelter for his family should disaster strike again.
With peak hurricane season now in full swing, Dwight is among many Caribbean people anxiously monitoring weather platforms for activity in the Atlantic. Many do not consider insurance a worthwhile expense, and instead lean on their faith in their home's construction.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with significant threats from storms causing real trauma among those affected by past disasters. As communities navigate this treacherous time, they lean on resilience and hope, prepared for whatever may come.
