Natural disasters caused $110 billion in damage worldwide in the first half of this year. The Munich Re report said the devastating and deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria earlier this year caused $40 billion in damage.
The earthquakes in Turkey and Syria caused enormous damage to buildings and infrastructure, such as roads and bridges. About 58,000 people were also killed, according to Munich Re. Most of the damage was caused in Turkey.
That high death toll also caused deaths due to natural disasters to rise to the highest level since 2010. According to the Munich-based company, approximately 62,000 people died from natural disasters.
Other natural disasters were also very costly, such as floods, extreme thunderstorms and tornadoes in the United States. There was a total damage amount of 42 billion dollars. The floods in northern Italy in May also caused major damage.
Munich Re says that of the total damage amount of $ 110 billion, $ 43 billion is insured. The researchers say climate change is increasingly important, for example, due to extreme heat, drought and forest fires.
