MIAMI, Fla. – As the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially kicks off on June 1, regional telecommunications provider Liberty Caribbean – operator of leading consumer and business brands Flow, Liberty Business and BTC – has formally announced it is fully prepared to support customers, governments and local communities across the Caribbean through potential extreme weather events.
Drawing on more than 100 years of operating experience across the Caribbean basin, the company has invested heavily in boosting its disaster preparedness, network resilience and rapid emergency response capabilities in the 12 months since Hurricane Melissa battered Jamaica last year. That destructive storm served as a sharp reminder of how critical resilient communications infrastructure is to communities in crisis, company leaders say.
“Hurricane Melissa reminded us once again that connectivity is far more than technology. In moments of crisis, it becomes a lifeline for families, businesses, emergency responders, and governments,” said Inge Smidts, Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Caribbean.
Lessons learned from last year’s storm directly shaped the company’s expanded investment and preparedness strategy over the past year. In Jamaica alone, Liberty Caribbean poured resources into a range of resilience-boosting upgrades: a fully enhanced modern mobile network, expanded spectrum capacity, more diverse data transport routes, physically hardened network infrastructure, expanded backup power systems, and additional network redundancy measures designed to cut downtime and speed up recovery after storms.
Beyond infrastructure upgrades, the company has also conducted regular emergency response simulation drills, updated fuel and logistics stockpiling and deployment plans, and strengthened cross-functional coordination across every market it serves. These steps ensure teams can mobilize immediately to respond to outages and restore service as quickly as possible if a storm hits.
“Our teams have worked tirelessly to modernize our infrastructure, strengthen operational preparedness, and improve how we respond during emergencies. While no network is immune to extreme weather events, our focus remains on building stronger, smarter, and more resilient systems capable of supporting the Caribbean through disruption and recovery alike,” Smidts added.
Forecasters at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are predicting a milder-than-average season for 2026. The Atlantic hurricane season runs annually from June 1 through November 30, and NOAA’s outlook puts the odds of a below-normal season at 55%, compared to a 35% chance of near-normal activity and just a 10% chance of an above-normal season.
NOAA projects the 2026 season will see between 8 and 14 named storms (storms with sustained winds of 39 miles per hour or higher). Of those, 3 to 6 are expected to strengthen into hurricanes with winds of at least 74 mph, and 1 to 3 will become major Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricanes with winds exceeding 111 mph. By comparison, an average Atlantic hurricane season sees 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
Smidts emphasized that even with a mild forecast in place, Liberty Caribbean is not easing its readiness standards, noting the company’s deep responsibility to the communities it serves across the region.
“We understand the responsibility that comes with serving the Caribbean. Our commitment extends beyond connectivity alone. It is also about supporting the resilience of the communities we serve and standing beside them before, during, and after times of crisis,” she said.
As the season gets underway, Liberty Caribbean is also urging all residential and business customers across the region to proactively review their own emergency preparedness plans and stay updated on weather conditions throughout the six-month storm season.
This report is based on a press release issued by the Liberty Caribbean Foundation.