Natural disasters cause losses of R$ 37 billion in 2024
From January to September of this year, natural disasters in Brazil caused economic losses of at least 6.4 billion dollars (37.3 billion reais), according to a report by Aon, a British company specialized in risk management and reinsurance. the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo released the information this Saturday the 30th.
HE Rio Grande do Sul suffered the greatest losses, with the floods that occurred from April 28 to May 3. The phenomenon caused losses of around 5 billion dollars (29.14 billion reais) and the death of 182 people.
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Wildfires in several regions of the country caused approximately $360 million in damage, while drought caused even greater damage, estimated at $470 million.
Despite these figures, total losses represent a reduction of 57% compared to 2023, when damages exceeded 10 billion dollars, due to a historic drought in the Plata Basin.
Brazil has a higher frequency of natural disasters
Beatriz Protásio, executive director of reinsurance at Aon in Brazil, says the country, previously considered low risk for major natural disasters, has faced extreme weather events with greater frequency since 2019.
“Brazil’s vulnerability to extreme weather events has become more evident in recent years due to the lack of adequate resilience strategies,” Beatriz said. Sheet. “It is crucial to identify and quantify threats to mitigate their impacts.”
Read also: “120 days of tragedy”, report by Tauany Cattan published in Edition 235 of Revista Oeste
Globally, economic losses caused by natural disasters, from January to September, amounted to $258 billion. Hurricane Helene, which caused $55 billion in losses in the United States, was the most impactful event. In the US, 80% of losses were covered by insurance, unlike in Brazil, where most damages are not insured.
Aon estimates show that, in Brazil, the protection gap is around 95%, calculated over 25 years. This was debated in the Chamber of Deputies, where strategies are being sought to reduce the vulnerability of the insured.
Beatriz attributes the low penetration of insurance to factors such as ignorance and a culture that is more reactive than preventive.
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