A note to the Discovery Insure team: Thank you for going beyond

I’ve spent the last weeks reflecting on the devastation caused by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, which have been described as the worst natural disaster to hit our country displacing more than 40 000 people and damaging or destroying over 13 500 homes. My deepest sympathies go out to all those who have suffered and the province as a whole. 

I visited the region last week and saw first-hand the damage caused to so many. Below is a home I visited in Umdloti where a mud slide completely washed away the land around the house. Luckily our clients’ home, which is exceptionally well built, stood up very well to the storm. However, there were many who were not as lucky. 

At Discovery, one of our core values is to be a force for social good so we knew it was our responsibility to react quickly to help, not only our clients, but all those who have been affected. As group we contributed to various aid organisations including Gift of the Givers. As Discovery Insure we ensured there was a team on the ground as soon as possible to assist our clients. For the first time ever, Discovery Insure even needed to hire a helicopter to rescue one of our clients from the second floor of their home, not something an insurer typically needs to do!

I am proud of the speed with which our team responded – almost immediately we flew a team of building and content assessors down from other parts of the country to assist on the ground. This allowed us to assess over one third of all claims within the first week. The claims team also proactively called clients in the hardest-hit areas to see how we could assist them and make the necessary arrangements. This helped clients to quickly log claims, in some cases minimising their damage. We also arranged emergency accommodation for those who had been displaced from their homes and ensured vehicles were moved to safe areas until they could be assessed.

I am appreciative of all of you who worked tirelessly and went beyond the call of duty, many without being able to enjoy the public holidays over April (including the Easter weekend), to ensure the safety and peace of mind of our clients. To date, we have finalised 80% of all KZN storm claims which is a remarkable achievement given the volume and challenges encountered.

I want to also thank our service provider partners who have the huge job of rebuilding so much of KZN. We all appreciate that this will take time and we are working with our service providers to ensure that there is sufficient capacity. We thank you for the long hours you and your teams are putting in.

You have all shown that you live up to Discovery’s Core Purpose of making people healthier and enhancing and protecting their lives and I am proud to be part of this team.