Caveolae are ~60 nm wide omega-shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane. Caveolae are know to flatten and dissociate under mechanical strain, releasing constituent proteins into the cytosol, and releasing a reservoir of membrane to buffer tension. Our lab previously demonstrated that chronic caveolar depletion enhances tissue-wide tension in epithelia through activation of a novel signalling pathway. Here, we show that the acute disassembly of caveolae, by means of mechanical stress, promotes activation of this signalling pathway to remodel and reinforce the cortical actomyosin cytoskeleton. We hypothesise that this rapid response helps to protect epithelial tissue from mechanical insults in vivo, such as may occur during muscle contraction, alveolar inflation, or flow.