North Bay residents face new risk after wildfires: insurers dropping their homeowner policies
North Bay residents face new risk after wildfires: insurers dropping their homeowner policies

Stacie and Jad Elkhoury avoided tragedy two years ago when flames from the Nuns wildfire stopped just short of their home southeast of Sonoma. The house did suffer some smoke damage to upholstery and rugs, for which they filed a claim with their insurance company,…
As wildfire risk increases in Colorado and the West, home insurance grows harder to find
As wildfire risk increases in Colorado and the West, home insurance grows harder to find

BOULDER — A few months after Chris Cook and his family moved from California into a four-bedroom house nestled among ponderosa pines in the foothills here, they received a letter saying their home insurance policy had been canceled. The insurer, Allstate, had concluded — after…
Government shutdown is delaying flood insurance needed for home sales
Government shutdown is delaying flood insurance needed for home sales

Some 40,000 homes could be left “unsold” for each month the government shutdown lasts, according to the National Association of Realtors NAR). And in its latest monthly housing report, the NAR predicted “slower economic growth” if employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA) remain…
Wildfire victim urges homeowners to check insurance policies
Wildfire victim urges homeowners to check insurance policies

Former Paradise, California, resident Barb West used to view insurance the way most homeowners do. “Who loses everything?” asked West, 64. Her husband, Roy West, is a building contractor, and she said that probably added to her false sense of security. “If a tree came…
California’s wildfire victims could be like most homeowners: underinsured
California’s wildfire victims could be like most homeowners: underinsured

As owners of the nearly 18,000 properties destroyed by California’s recent wildfires begin to file insurance claims, many of them will likely find they do not have enough insurance to cover the cost of rebuilding. Surveys from the research firm Marshall & Swift/Boeckh have found…
Insurance issues linger well after California North Coast wildfires are out
Insurance issues linger well after California North Coast wildfires are out

As the North Bay welcomed 2018, it was clear to survivors of October 2017’s wildfires that much of the year would involve dealing with post-fires insurance claims, which reached $9.5 billion, according to state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. And after another season of historic fires…
Wildfires may soon be uninsurable risks for homeowners
Wildfires may soon be uninsurable risks for homeowners

Homeowners in wildfire-prone areas of California and other Western states now have yet another worry: Insurers have issued an ominous warning that they could be facing a “wildfire deductible” in coming years or, even worse, the prospect of having their home insurance canceled altogether. The…
Camp, Woolsey and Hill wildfire property losses reach $9 billion
Camp, Woolsey and Hill wildfire property losses reach $9 billion

Insurance costs already rival last year’s nearly $12 billion in losses from wildfires This year’s wildfire season is already California’s deadliest and most destructive. On Wednesday, state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said it is also among the costliest in private property losses with claims totaling…
Insurer goes bust from Camp Fire with millions in claims unpaid. How will it affect Paradise homeowners?
Insurer goes bust from Camp Fire with millions in claims unpaid. How will it affect Paradise homeowners?

Millions of dollars in potential losses from the Camp Fire have ruined a small Merced County insurance company, providing another element of uncertainty for homeowners following the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history. A judge declared Merced Property & Casualty Co. of Atwater…
As wildfires drive insurance premiums up, will homeowners be able to keep up?
As wildfires drive insurance premiums up, will homeowners be able to keep up?

At first, Lucy Reynolds was unnerved by the non-renewal notice from the insurance company two years ago. Mortgaged homes must have coverage so Reynolds and her husband needed to find a replacement, quick. She was turned down by her neighbor’s carrier and an insurance agent…
Here’s How to Help California Fire Victims, Now and Years Into the Future
Here’s How to Help California Fire Victims, Now and Years Into the Future

Keep your old clothes. Give cash to groups that help survivors deal, heal, and rebuild. People send used clothes. Stuffed animals. Canned goods. A fine sentiment. But these things are just not very useful and require too much work to sort through and distribute. If…
How climate change is changing your insurance
How climate change is changing your insurance

As victims of the California wildfires begin to think about rebuilding their homes, advocates and policymakers are warning that natural disasters, made more frequent and destructive because of climate change, could make home insurance unaffordable and force more Americans to rely on government insurance programs…
What to Know About Insurance If You Live in a Fire-Prone Area
What to Know About Insurance If You Live in a Fire-Prone Area

Your homeowners’ or renters’ insurance should cover the repairs. If you don’t yet have a policy, here’s what to do. The California Camp Fire has destroyed more than 12,000 homes as of Tuesday morning, and displaced more than 300,000 people. The damage will cost insurers…
How Wildfires Are Making Some California Homes Uninsurable
How Wildfires Are Making Some California Homes Uninsurable

California’s wildfires keep growing bigger, more frequent and more destructive. Of the 20 worst wildfires in state history, four were just last year, giving rise to a record $12.6 billion of insurance claims. It hasn’t gotten any better this year. The Mendocino Complex Fire in…
Maximizing Insurance Payouts After The California Fires
Maximizing Insurance Payouts After The California Fires

It is estimated that there are over 13.5 million homes in California and one-third of those are located in or near areas vulnerable to wildfires. Unfortunately, for those of us who live and work in California, wildfires are an annual occurrence that have, in recent…
1 Woman Who Lost Her Home To A Fire In 2003 Steps In To Help Victims Of Woolsey Fire
1 Woman Who Lost Her Home To A Fire In 2003 Steps In To Help Victims Of Woolsey Fire

NPR’s Scott Simon speaks with fire survivor Karen Reimus whose house burned down in San Diego in 2003. She will be volunteering at a local assistance shelter to help survivors of the wildfires. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: California’s increasing and increasingly destructive wildfires have created a…
For California fire victims, it will be a long, tough road to rebuild
For California fire victims, it will be a long, tough road to rebuild

The fires that tore through California in the past week have reduced homes to ash, upending lives and leaving thousands in sudden need of shelter. But beyond the immediate challenges of finding a place to live in a state with a perpetual shortage of housing,…
Tips and Tools for Making Sure You’re Properly Insured in the Event of a Wildfire
Tips and Tools for Making Sure You’re Properly Insured in the Event of a Wildfire

If you didn’t lose your home, these fires are a startling reminder of the importance of being properly insured. In fact, advocacy group United Policyholders says two-thirds of wildfire victims are under-insured by more than $100,000. Here are tips for making sure you’re protected. First,…