Hurricane season brings financial fears in the Caribbean

As islands brace for this year's big storms, many homes don't have household insurance.

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Eight years on, while memories may be close to hand, home insurance for many on Barbuda and other islands in the Caribbean's hurricane belt is more prohibitively expensive than ever.

Across the region premiums have gone through the roof in the past two years, surging by as much as 40% on some islands, according to industry figures.

Experts blame a perfect storm of increasing risk – as the region sees worsening and more rapidly intensifying cyclones – yet tiny populations of people to pay for policies, equating to poor returns for insurance companies.

Dwight Benjamin's Barbuda home was one of few left relatively undamaged by Irma. After the storm, he invested in a one-room extension topped with a concrete roof that will serve as a shelter for his family should disaster strike again.