June Too Soon: The 2026 Hurricane Season Is Here – Time To Act
By Hon. E. P. Chet Greene
June 10, 2026 | Editorial
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, but for those of us who have lived through the lashing rains and howling winds of past storms, we know that preparation cannot start on a calendar page. The 2026 season is already here and it brings with it a sobering truth: your home is likely your single largest and most prized investment. For most families, it is the foundation of financial security and generations of memories. Protecting it is not optional, it is essential.
Insurance, I submit, is the first and smartest line of defense. Too many homeowners discover after a storm that their policy doesn’t cover flood damage, or that their payout falls tragically short of rebuilding costs. This season, sit down with your agent. Review your deductible. Understand the difference between replacement cost and actual cash value. If you’ve made renovations, update your coverage. Flood insurance takes 30 days to kick in, so please don’t wait until a named storm is churning in the Atlantic. Proper insurance doesn’t just rebuild houses; it rebuilds lives.
Insurance coverage alone is not enough. Physical preparedness saves lives. Walk around your property this weekend. Secure loose gutters, reinforce garage doors, trim dead branches and install storm shutters or pre-cut plywood for every window. Check your roof for aging shingles, rotting galvanize or weak points. These small actions can mean the difference between a home that weathers the storm and one that becomes a statistic. Remember, securing your structure is an act of love for those sheltering inside.
At the community level, preparation becomes a shared responsibility. Organize a weekend to clear local waterways, overgrown lots and debris from drainage ditches. Clogged waterways are a silent killer during heavy rains. Compile a community directory of the elderly, sick, shut-ins and persons with disabilities. Check on them before any warning is issued. Donate supplies to designated shelters: cots, batteries, non-perishable food, hygiene kits and first aid. A community that plans together stands together when the sky darkens.
We must also engage with our public utilities providers. Every year, unstable light poles and overhanging trees bring down power lines, turning a manageable storm into weeks of darkness. Utility companies must conduct inspections, replace damaged poles, clear canopy branches and secure infrastructure where possible. Delays in service restoration are not merely inconvenient; they are dangerous, especially for the elderly and medically dependent, trade and commerce.
I ask that we not forget that preparation is guided by knowledge. The 2026 list of storm names: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dexter, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van and Wendy, will soon become household words. Which of these will bring destruction? We cannot know. I encourage that we can choose not to be caught off guard.
We owe a deep debt of gratitude to our National Office of Disaster Services (NODS), which for years has delivered remarkable service. As we look to 2026, I encourage NODS to build on that legacy with even greater coordination, public education and rapid response. Likewise, the Met Office has been a pillar of professionalism, delivering forecasts with accuracy and clarity. Their work saves lives every single season.
Allow me a pause to say farewell and thank you to the late Philbert Mason. For generations, he was the face of meteorology and that authoritative voice behind every hurricane warning. He educated us, warned us and humanised the science. His absence leaves a void, but his legacy commands us to be ready.
Let this be the year we break the cycle of panic-buying hours before landfall. Let homeowners inspect their roofs this week as an act of responsible and meaningful preparation. Let neighbours clear the drains together. Let every family review their insurance binder or move to purchase coverage with greatest alacrity. The 2026 season is here. We cannot stop it. But we can face it with preparation, solidarity and the resolve to protect what matters most.
Don’t wait for the first winds to blow. Start your preparations now!