When looking at the first half of 2019, disasters in poorer countries are worrying because the victims so often have virtually no insurance cover. Cyclone Idai, which hit Mozambique, was in relative terms worse for that country than the Tohoku earthquake – the costliest natural disaster on record – was for Japan in 2011. Almost nothing was insured, so that very few of the people affected were able to obtain prompt financial assistance for the loss of their belongings. Experience has shown that such countries often take years to recover from disasters. The insurance industry therefore needs to promote partnerships with governments and development banks to provide greater assistance to countries like Mozambique, ” said Torsten Jeworrek, member of the Board of Management, Munich Re said