By Dale C. S. Destin – Published 26 November 2025 |

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) sit on the frontline of the world’s climate problem. Every hurricane season grows more dangerous, rainfall extremes more severe, heatwaves more frequent, and coastal threats more complex. Yet despite this escalating risk, many national Meteorological Services—institutions responsible for forecasting, issuing warnings, and safeguarding lives—operate from buildings that are decades outdated and never designed to withstand the hazards they monitor.

photo by Dale Destin

If we are serious about achieving Early Warning for All, then SIDS urgently need purpose-built, climate-resilient Meteorological Offices. Without them, no amount of technology, training, or goodwill can make an early warning system truly reliable.

“You cannot put new wine into old wineskins.”

Doing so causes the wineskin to burst, spilling what is precious. In the same way, we cannot pour modern forecasting systems, advanced modelling, and new early warning responsibilities into buildings that were never designed to support them.

The result is the same: the structure fails, and what should have protected the nation is lost.

The Hard Reality: Many Met Offices Are Not Fit for Purpose

Across SIDS, Meteorological Offices are often:

• structurally vulnerable to major hurricanes: Category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes,
• lacking hardened power supplies or redundant communication systems,
• unable to safely operate 24/7 during extreme events,
• or retrofitted from old buildings never intended for national emergency functions.

In these conditions, continuity of operations cannot be guaranteed.

A Met Office that must evacuate during a storm cannot issue warnings during the very moment the public needs them most.

photo by Dale Destin

A server room that floods during a heavy shower cannot maintain aviation, climate, and disaster information services.

A building that loses power during the early hours of a hurricane cannot support life-saving decision-making.

These vulnerabilities are not inconveniences—they are direct threats to public safety.

Early Warning for All Cannot Happen in Fragile Buildings

The global Early Warning for All initiative is ambitious and life-saving. But it depends on one foundational principle:
The national institutions issuing early warnings must themselves be resilient.

Even with the world’s best forecast models, advanced sensors, or lightning-fast communication tools, early warning will fail if:

• the operations room must shut down,
• the telecommunications tower is destroyed,
• the building roof cannot withstand major storms,
• or staff cannot safely remain on-site to work.

Modern equipment and data systems matter—but they cannot compensate for a building that collapses, floods, or becomes unsafe under climate stress.

A Climate-Resilient Met Office Is a National Safety Asset

A purpose-built Meteorological Office is not simply an office.
It is:

• a 24/7 national operations centre,
• a technical and scientific hub,
• an aviation safety facility,
• a disaster risk reduction pillar,
• and a critical infrastructure building on par with emergency operations centres, hospitals, and communication hubs.

Such a facility must be engineered to:

• remain fully operational during Category 5 hurricanes,
• withstand high winds, earthquake shocks, and heavy rainfall,
• protect equipment and data with dedicated secure rooms,
• provide redundancy in power, cooling, and communication,
• allow forecasters to work safely for extended periods,
• and support climate services, training, and public briefings.

Without this foundation, a country’s entire early warning chain is vulnerable to collapse.

Category 5, Major Hurricane Melissa moving over Jamaica on 28 October, 2025 (photo by Dale Destin)

A Call to Governments: Invest in the Foundations of National Safety

SIDS governments have demonstrated strong leadership in disaster management and climate adaptation. But the next critical step is clear:
Commit to constructing climate-resilient, purpose-built Meteorological Offices as national priority infrastructure.

This investment:

• protects lives during hurricanes and extreme weather,
• ensures aviation and maritime safety,
• strengthens national readiness and response,
• fulfils obligations under WMO, ICAO, and regional frameworks,
• supports long-term climate planning,
• and secures national resilience for generations.

No country can afford for its Met Office to fail during a major storm.
And yet, without strong infrastructure, failure is precisely the risk many SIDS currently face.

Conclusion: Strong Buildings for Strong Warnings

Early warning is a chain—and the Meteorological Office is its anchor. If that anchor is weak, the entire system is compromised.

photo by Dale Destin

A climate-resilient Met Office is not an optional upgrade.

It is a national safety necessity, a moral responsibility, and a strategic investment in climate adaptation.

SIDS know what is coming. The hazards are intensifying.

And the time to fortify the institutions that protect us is now.