Hurricane Thinking: What Living in Bermuda Has Taught Me About Resilience

I’ve been sitting with the word resilience, not just as a personal trait but as a way countries move through storms. A simple definition I love: resilience is the capacity to absorb stress or disruption, adapt to changing conditions and recover to a steady or stronger state without losing your core purpose. 

In practice, it’s three moves: bend, bounce back and build forward.

If you want to see resilience in action, look at Bermuda before, during and after a hurricane. This year (so far) we took a direct hit by Hurricane Imelda and weathered a few close calls. The rhythm was familiar, calm, coordinated with an extremely quick recovery.

Days before the storm hit, the Bermuda Emergency Measures Organisation mobilized, communication flowed and everyone knew their role. Vulnerable residents were checked on. Families topped up supplies. Businesses secured their premises. It’s second nature.

During the storm, I found myself thinking, there’s nowhere I’d rather be during a hurricane than at home in Bermuda. Our homes are built for it. Literally. We’re an island with no immediate neighbors to evacuate to; self-reliance isn’t a dream, it’s a necessity. And still within 24 hours after the worst blows through, roads are cleared, the airport reopens, power is returning, ferries and buses begin their routes and life resumes.

That’s not luck. It’s design.

Resilience starts with a plan. You don’t wing it in a hurricane. You lay a foundation that can carry the structure you want to live by. You build redundancies. You prepare. You check on each other. You communicate clearly and often. You don’t wait for perfect conditions; you operate through imperfect ones.

I call this hurricane thinking, designing your life so that when (not if) storms arrive, you can absorb the hit, adapt and come back steady and stronger. It’s less about toughness and more about preparedness, community and choices repeated over time.

I welcome your thoughts on resilience. Send me an email: aderonke@abwilsonconsulting.com