Just recently, Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica as the strongest storm in its history, leaving communities grappling with catastrophic damage and recovery that will continue for months. It’s a stark reminder that disasters are not distant threats—they are development challenges. India learned this lesson 25 years ago when a “super cyclone” slammed into the eastern Indian state of Odisha with winds exceeding 250km an hour and storm surges rising over six meters above sea level, flooding the land with salty ocean water. 10,000 lives were lost, over two million homes destroyed, and an economy heavily reliant on agriculture and coastal fisheries was devastated.

For a state of 45 million people at the time, the disaster was overwhelming. Yet it also became a turning point. Odisha rebuilt not only its coastlines, but its governance, institutions, and approach to risk.

Two decades later, the same state is recognised globally for one of the most effective disaster management systems in the developing world. Its journey offers a lesson: disaster preparedness, done right, is also a development strategy. In my recent visit with the Palladium India team, I heard firsthand how states like Odisha and Maharashtra are proving that resilience can be a foundation for inclusive growth.

From Response to Readiness

India’s approach to disaster management has evolved from reactive relief to proactive readiness. Odisha’s network of early warning systems, cyclone shelters, and women-led self-help groups—once seen purely as humanitarian tools—are now drivers of local development. These same institutions now coordinate health programs, manage water resources, and drive entrepreneurship. In building for safety, Odisha built for opportunity.

In Maharashtra, a similar shift is underway. In drought-prone districts such as Dharashiv and Dhule, Palladium has supported the Social Forestry Department to develop Miyawaki forests—dense, fast-growing groves that restore groundwater and cool local microclimates. Farmers are already reporting measurable improvements in water access and agricultural productivity. What began as a climate adaptation initiative is now directly boosting rural livelihoods.

Resilience Is a System

The real success of these models lies not in individual projects but in systems thinking. When disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and livelihood generation are planned together, resilience becomes self-reinforcing.

And it is a systems approach that distinguishes Odisha’s progress. Government, private sector, and civil society are learning to work in concert reducing duplication, scaling innovation, and sharing the resilience dividends across the economy. Stronger community institutions mean faster recovery after shocks, more stable incomes between them, and greater confidence to invest in the future.

Through our development work, we’ve seen this dynamic replicated globally. In programmes like Partnerships for Forests and Regeneration, communities moved from dependence on grants to generating income through regenerative markets—whether in sustainable cocoa, coffee, or forest restoration.

The principle is universal: align incentives, measure outcomes, and let local enterprise lead.

Resilience as Growth Policy

Investment in preparedness helps avoid losses during crises, but the true return is developmental. Resilience investments create jobs, expand markets, and mobilise private finance toward social and environmental outcomes, and strengthen the trust and institutional capacity that underpin long-term prosperity.

For policymakers and governments around the world, this requires a mindset shift. Resilience is not a cost center, it is core infrastructure—just as vital as roads, ports, or power grids. When private and public capital align around resilience, they build the conditions for inclusive markets, secure supply chains, and communities that can thrive through uncertainty.

Odisha’s story is not an exception; it’s a preview of India’s future. States that embed resilience into every dimension of planning—urban growth, infrastructure, health, and livelihoods—will be best equipped to manage the risks of climate, migration and market volatility tomorrow. The path to durable prosperity runs through preparedness.

India’s efforts in this space offers a model for other countries at all levels of government: a systems-based, community-anchored approach that treats disaster management as a catalyst for sustainable development.

As Jamaica begins the long road to recovery, the parallels are clear: resilience cannot be an afterthought. It must be embedded in every dimension of planning and investment. India’s experience shows that preparedness is not charity—it’s growth policy. For nations facing climate volatility, the choice is simple: build resilience now, or pay the price later.

This is the new development paradigm. When resilience becomes the operating system of growth, nations don’t just survive the next crisis—they shape the future that follows.