A ‘super’ El Niño is about to crash into California: 9 essential ways to prepare
A ‘super’ El Niño is about to crash into California: 9 essential ways to prepare

Amid warnings of a wet and potentially destructive winter, The Times asked experts for their best tips to be prepared. Read more.
Coastal damage and a looming El Niño prompt warnings for homeowners to review insurance coverage
Coastal damage and a looming El Niño prompt warnings for homeowners to review insurance coverage

A series of recent coastal hazards, from sinkholes to beach erosion to waves pushing water onto properties, is raising concerns for Southern California homeowners who may not be covered for the damage they’re seeing. Images of a collapsing driveway and eroding shorelines have unsettled many…
Get this key protection for your home before El Niño hits California
Get this key protection for your home before El Niño hits California

With El Niño expected to bring heavier and more frequent storms to California this winter, homeowners are being urged to consider flood insurance now, since standard home policies generally don’t cover flooding and some flood policies have waiting periods of up to 30 days before…
Last-resort home insurance surges as climate risks grow – Finance & Commerce
Last-resort home insurance surges as climate risks grow – Finance & Commerce

Surplus home insurance is rapidly expanding as traditional insurers retreat from high-risk areas, leaving homeowners with fewer protections. Read more.
The slow climb toward stability in California’s insurance market.
The slow climb toward stability in California’s insurance market.

As wildfires blaze across Big Sur and much of the West, it might be surprising to hear news that the insurance market in California is showing early signs of stabilization. Katie Rodriguez here, sharing with you all a list of takeaways from a statewide insurance…
Exiting California’s FAIR Plan
Exiting California’s FAIR Plan

More than a year and a half after the devastating wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades and four years mired in the state’s insurer of last resort, our reporter’s systematic fire-hardening measures have finally provided an escape hatch. In earlier articles, “An Insurance Journalist’s Perspective…
Who should get flood insurance?
Who should get flood insurance?

Flood insurance may not be top of mind for many this year because hurricane activity in the Atlantic has been unusually quiet. But the traditional peak of the season is arriving, and storms that inundated the Midwest this month are a reminder that inland areas…
How to slash your hurricane insurance premiums by more than a third
How to slash your hurricane insurance premiums by more than a third

Home hurricane insurance that cost $1,000 annually three-to-five years ago could cost more than twice that today. These are sobering statistics for Hawaiʻi residents thinking about updating their insurance policies after seeing the wreckage left by Hurricane Lala this month. Natural disasters around the world…
Hurricane Season Has Been Calm. Should You Have Flood Insurance?
Hurricane Season Has Been Calm. Should You Have Flood Insurance?

Flood insurance may not be top of mind for many this year because hurricane activity in the Atlantic has been unusually quiet. But the traditional peak of the season is arriving, and storms that inundated the Midwest this month are a reminder that inland areas…
With a strong El Niño expected in SoCal, should you consider flood insurance?
With a strong El Niño expected in SoCal, should you consider flood insurance?

El Niño is officially with us, and it’s looking like it’s likely going to be a doozy. The natural global climate pattern temporarily warms the eastern tropical Pacific, causing extreme weather patterns across the globe. A strong El Niño has historically, though not always, been…
Homeowners face growing home insurance threat beyond cost
Homeowners face growing home insurance threat beyond cost

Rising homeowners insurance premiums have forced millions of American property owners to rethink their household budgets over the past two years. A first-of-its-kind analysis from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) suggests that rising costs may be only one part of a much larger…
Why insurance matters to renters, landlords and California
Why insurance matters to renters, landlords and California

Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State. A year and a half after the Eaton Fire, Gil Barel…
Four myths about insurance in California
Four myths about insurance in California

Many Californians have seen rising costs, less availability and are running into other issues with insurance — including delays and denials of their claims — in the past several years. As climate change increases the risk of wildfires and other disasters, it’s important to know…
Setting the Record Straight: Common Insurance Myths California Homeowners Should Know
Setting the Record Straight: Common Insurance Myths California Homeowners Should Know

Southern Californians have watched insurance costs climb, coverage options shrink, and claim disputes multiply in recent years, and much of what people believe about why is simply wrong. As wildfire risk grows alongside a warming climate, understanding how the insurance market actually works matters more…
Four myths about insurance in California
Four myths about insurance in California

Many Californians have seen rising costs, less availability and are running into other issues with insurance — including delays and denials of their claims — in the past several years. As climate change increases the risk of wildfires and other disasters, it’s important to know…
More California Communities Adopting Zone 0 Policy for Fire Safety
More California Communities Adopting Zone 0 Policy for Fire Safety

Insurance companies pushing homeowners to adopt Zone 0 policy for wildfire safety Catastrophic wildfires have devastated California in recent years. In the aftermath, we often ask ourselves – how do we make sure this doesn’t happen again? State officials are slowly phasing in one of…
Is Your Home Underinsured? Here’s How to Tell.
Is Your Home Underinsured? Here’s How to Tell.

Your house isn’t just a place to hang your hat — it’s also one of your most valuable financial assets. That’s why homeowners without enough insurance can face financial ruin when disaster strikes and they find themselves suddenly homeless and unable to rebuild. The problem…
Is Climate Disaster Insurance a Worsening Disaster?
Is Climate Disaster Insurance a Worsening Disaster?

When Hurricane Helene inundated and wiped out large swaths of North Carolina and Tennessee in 2024, in some counties fewer than 2% of residents had flood insurance. Today, many still have not recovered. Climate disasters are getting worse. It’s not just floods. The 2018 Camp…