Hurricane Beryl had a measurable impact on Jamaica’s GDP, affecting two quarters of our growth performance, and the current weather event has already begun to do the same. Each day that businesses close, infrastructure is damaged, and our airports or hotels are forced to suspend operations, the economy takes a hit. That’s why we must be prudent in our fiscal management. While there may be calls for immediate heavy spending, we have to ensure that every dollar is used wisely and sustainably. The Government has a multi-layered disaster response framework in place. Our first line of support comes from the National Disaster Fund, which is already being utilized for mobilization. In addition, we have a budgeted contingency provision of approximately 5.3 billion, allowing us to respond to emergency needs in the short term. Beyond this, insurance mechanisms will also be activated once specific impact thresholds are met.(Andrew Holness)