“I am going to be the one in the water diving, making sure the rocks are aligned properly,” says diver Anthony Hackett, describing his work on the Fisheries Marina breakwater. “We have to get them perfectly right… it’s my biggest job.”
Anthony’s task is part of Barbados’ recovery from Hurricane Beryl. When the storm passed south of Barbados in July 2024, it struck as a powerful Category 4 storm that caused more than B$190 million in damage. Coastal sectors were hardest hit, with fisheries among the worst affected. An estimated 90 percent of the island’s fishing fleet was damaged or destroyed, along with critical infrastructure like the Bridgetown Port and the Fisheries Marina.
At the marina, the storm surge shifted the massive “plus sign” concrete boulders that had protected the harbor for decades, tearing open the breakwater and exposing everything behind it. Boats were smashed or swept away, and the fish market and processing center sustained heavy losses.
It is this devastation that has brought Anthony into the water, where he now spends his days guiding the placement of new armor rocks - dense, heavy boulders imported from Norway. Each rock is geo-referenced and digitally mapped, so its position can be tracked for years to come. Beneath these lie smaller stones, creating a carefully engineered barrier: strong enough to withstand hurricanes, yet permeable enough to let water filter through and lose its energy before reaching the marina.
For Anthony, the work is personal: ‘I feel so joyful to be doing this, because I have a brother who had a boat lost to Beryl. I want to see no more damage.’ His brother turned to farming to survive after losing his vessel. Now, with recovery efforts including financial support to help fisherfolk replace their boats, there is a chance Anthony's brother could one day return to the sea. Anthony believes the sight of the new breakwater will help to restore confidence: “When they see the structure in place, that might open up ideas to say, well, we could go again.”
Rebuilding the breakwater is the most visible sign of recovery, but it is only the beginning. The work forms part of the Beryl Emergency Response and Recovery Project, a World Bank–supported initiative to restore critical infrastructure, revive fisheries, and strengthen Barbados’ resilience to future storms.
“Fisheries are important for food security, for heritage, and for coastal communities,” says Naraya Carrasco, the World Bank’s senior disaster risk specialist and project team leader. “This project is about giving families the means to recover, and about building resilience into every stage of the sector.”
Government leaders see this work as both urgent and transformative. At the project’s launch event, Minister of Economic Affairs and Investment Kay McConney reminded Barbadians that while hurricanes cannot be controlled, the response can be decisive:
“What makes our country vulnerable to climate-related risks is not always within our control. But what allows us to bounce back and to build back resiliently… that certainly is within our control.”
The Beryl Emergency Response and Recovery Project is expected to benefit more than 24,000 Barbadians, reaching into the everyday lives of those most affected by the storm. For fisherfolk, it will provide grants and convenient loans to repair or replace damaged vessels and equipment, with special attention to ensuring fair access for men, women, and youth. The project will also support studies to guide the development of future insurance schemes, so that fishing families can be better protected against disasters.
Beyond livelihoods, the project is restoring the backbone of the economy through the rehabilitation of the Bridgetown Port and the Fisheries Marina, facilities that are vital for trade, tourism, and fishing. Communities along the coast will also see reinforced defenses, with new protections planned for Paynes Bay and Six Men’s Bay, areas identified as especially vulnerable.
At the same time, the project is strengthening the country’s ability to withstand future shocks. The Department of Emergency Management will receive new investments, including a modern management information system and updated emergency shelter strategies that account for the needs of women, children, and people with disabilities. Together, these measures aim not only to repair what was lost, but to build a more resilient Barbados for the years ahead.
“These efforts mean jobs and income restored for thousands of families,” McConney said. “And they mean that when the next storm comes — because it will come — we are better prepared.”
The recovery effort is also backed by the World Bank’s new financial tools that give Barbados more flexibility in times of crisis. Just hours before Beryl struck, Barbados became the first country in the world to sign a Climate Resilient Debt Clause, which allows a government to pause debt repayments for up to two years after a disaster, freeing fiscal space for urgent recovery. The country also has a Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (CAT DDO), which provides quick-disbursing financing in the event of a disaster.
Together with the new Beryl Emergency Response and Recovery Project, these tools highlight how Barbados and the World Bank are working in tandem to not only rebuild stronger but also ensure that financing can move quickly when the next storm comes.
“These innovations are about flexibility and speed,” Naraya Carrasco explains. “They ensure Barbados can act when it matters most.”
At the marina, workers are racing against the clock. “We work from 6:30 to 5:30, as long as it’s daylight,” Anthony says. “We have to hurry, because hurricane season is here, and there’s a big industry we need to protect.”
Every stone set into place is more than engineering. For Anthony, it’s a way of protecting and giving his brother a chance to return to the sea. For fishing families across Barbados, it is a sign that the industry they depend on still has a future.
