National

DRM: Disasters Are Economic Events As Much As They Are Humanitarian

NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS – Disaster preparedness is being pushed as a business necessity., not a backup plan.

Published

2 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Delvardo Emmanuel

NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS – Disaster preparedness is being pushed as a business necessity, not a backup plan.

Disaster Risk Management Authority Managing Director, Aarone Sargent, says resilience is the foundation for long-term prosperity. especially in a country as exposed as The Bahamas.

He spoke at the 2026 Business Outlook, encouraging companies to invest in readiness now, to protect staff, operations and revenue later.

Our Delvardo Emmanuel reports.

When disaster strikes, it’s not just homes and roads that take a hit. Businesses can lose inventory, power, staff and days, sometimes weeks of income.

And that’s why Disaster Risk Management Authority Managing Director, Aarone Sargent, says resilience has to be the foundation for the business community, not an afterthought.

“ Business resilience has to make sense in the real world as businesses operate in the real world. What we see on screen are disasters, preparedness, outages, inflation, workforce, geopolitics, and I think we can all agree with some of the words that are showing up on the screen. These risks are real and they’re not theoretical.”

Sargent told business leaders at the 2026 Business Outlook, that disasters should be seen as economic event, with real consequences for operations, supply chains, revenue and customer confidence.

“ Disasters are economic events as much as they are humanitarian ones. They disrupt our operations supply chains. Employment, revenue, infrastructure and consumer demand in a country exposed, as exposed as The Bahamas. Every major hazard has direct and immediate business consequences “

He pointed to Hurricane Dorian as the wake-up call that exposed major weaknesses and forced the country to redesign its disaster management system.

That new frameworkm the Disaster Risk Management Act of 2022, is designed to push the nation from reacting after a storm, to planning and investing before one forms.

“ It lays down the foundational principles that strengthen the base of a national resilience system. The first principle is, is that our approach must be comprehensive. The act requires us to look beyond emergency response and focus on reducing risk across every part of society, protecting lives, health, infrastructure, economy, and our environment.”