Hurricane Beryl left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean – homes torn apart, power lines downed, entire communities devastated. But this time, something was different.

Just eight days after landfall, a record $55.5 million in prearranged insurance payouts was triggered, delivering emergency funds when they were needed most.

Could this be the future of disaster response? In this episode of Counter Crisis, Jeevan Vasagar speaks to Elizabeth Riley and Colin Bruce about why prearranged financing is more cost-effective than reactive aid – and what it will take to scale it up before the next crisis strikes.

Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Counter Crisis is brought to you by the Centre for Disaster Protection, which helps countries find better ways to manage disaster risk – protecting lives, livelihoods, and economies before crisis strikes.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

In 2016, Cyclone Winston devastated Fiji – flattening villages, cutting power, and leaving hundreds of thousands in urgent need. But as the crisis unfolded, aid stalled. Bureaucracy delayed funding, costing time and lives.

Nine years later, the system remains broken. Disaster response is fragmented, and vulnerable nations are left waiting. With foreign aid shrinking and the next crisis inevitable, how can we fix it before it’s too late?

In this episode, Tortoise editor Jeevan Vasagar talks to Kathy Baughman McLeod and Dan Lund about how pre-arranged financing could finally break the costly cycle of response and recovery.

Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Counter Crisis is brought to you by the Centre for Disaster Protection, which helps countries find better ways to manage disaster risk – protecting lives, livelihoods, and economies before crisis strikes.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Wildfires, floods, drought – climate disasters are hitting harder and faster. The response is often too late, leaving millions to suffer.

In fact, less than 2% of international crisis financing is arranged in advance —and an even smaller portion reaches the world’s poorest communities.

What if we could act before catastrophe struck? In this episode of Counter Crisis, we uncover how pre-arranged financing – committing funding and preparing response plans in advance – can help in places where floods, drought, and conflict have eroded coping capacities.

Jeevan Vasagar from Tortoise Media is joined by Nena Stoiljkovic and Abdihakim Ainte.

Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Counter Crisis is brought to you by the Centre for Disaster Protection, which helps countries find better ways to manage disaster risk – protecting lives, livelihoods, and economies before crisis strikes.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.