UPdate on remedies for UNDERINSURED CA disaster survivors
UPdate on remedies for UNDERINSURED CA disaster survivors

Wildfire survivors in regions throughout California are using UP’s guidance on how to remedy the fact that they are grossly underinsured.  Upon learning that assurances they’d gotten and relied upon from insurers, agents, and brokers that their homes were adequately insured were untrue – these…
Transformed by October fires, Sonoma County takes stock, bracing for ‘a learning year’
Transformed by October fires, Sonoma County takes stock, bracing for ‘a learning year’

Two sisters. Two paths to recovery. Susan Komar and Lynn Van Fleit each lost a home last fall when the Tubbs fire ravaged northern Santa Rosa. Six months later, Komar and her husband, Chris, said they plan this year to start rebuilding their home in…
The Results Are In…
The Results Are In…

The bad news: Inadequate insurance and loss valuation disputes are slowing recovery from the devastating 2017 wildfires in Northern CA, according to UP’s most recent Roadmap to Recovery survey. A full 6 months after losing their homes, 80% of survey respondents have NOT settled the…
Editorial: The heartbreaking reason why many victims won’t rebuild
Editorial: The heartbreaking reason why many victims won’t rebuild

For many homeowners, the full extent of the devastation from the October fires is still unfolding — on their calculators. As Staff Writer Bill Swindell spelled out in his front-page story a week ago “Painful insurance reality,” Sunday), the number of people in Sonoma County…
Insurance shortfalls hamper Sonoma County fire victims’ ability to rebuild
Insurance shortfalls hamper Sonoma County fire victims’ ability to rebuild

Josh Nix thought he was doing everything right in August when he renewed the insurance policy for his Mark West area home just east of Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. Nix answered the questions posed by his carrier, USAA, in an online form used…
2017 North Bay Wildfire Recovery Survey is underway
2017 North Bay Wildfire Recovery Survey is underway

ATTENTION HOUSEHOLDS IMPACTED BY THE 2017 WILDFIRES IN THE NORTH BAY, CALIFORNIA: Please take a few minutes to complete a short survey.  The purpose is to gather information about insurance and recovery, progress and problems.  The information we collect through this survey will help our…
February Roadmap to Recovery Workshop Schedule
February Roadmap to Recovery Workshop Schedule

This month, United Policyholders is hosting the following Roadmap to Recovery workshops for wildfire-impacted households: NAPA Tuesday, February 20th from 6-8pm ​Topic: Financial Decision-Making ​The Hall at St. John the Baptist Church 960 Caymus St., Napa SANTA ROSA Wednesday, February 21st from 6-8pm ​Topic: Scoping and Valuing Your Dwelling Loss Santa Rosa High…
Insurers should be on the hook for Montecito mudslide damage, commissioner says
Insurers should be on the hook for Montecito mudslide damage, commissioner says

Montecito residents who are hoping that insurance will cover damage to their homes from recent mudslides received a word of support from an important ally on Monday. California insurance commissioner Dave Jones issued a notice to insurers outlining his office’s position that they should be…
Advocates guide Napa Valley fire survivors seeking insurance payouts
Advocates guide Napa Valley fire survivors seeking insurance payouts

YOUNTVILLE — The North Bay wildfires obliterated homes, belongings and keepsakes within hours or even minutes. But for many survivors, the journey toward repayment for their losses is still in its early days – and advocates for policyholders are hoping to guide some of them…
Conversations Around the Fire’ Turns to Insurance Strategies for Resilient Rebuilding
Conversations Around the Fire’ Turns to Insurance Strategies for Resilient Rebuilding

Yesterday, we heard a presentation from “Conversations Around the Fire” – an initiative hoping to guide local residents to greener, safer and more just ideas about rebuilding our community. One speaker at the conversation Monday night represented a group that helps answer questions about insurance,…
UP to the challenge: 4 simultaneous Roadmap to Recovery operations
UP to the challenge: 4 simultaneous Roadmap to Recovery operations

Last night in Ventura, California, UP oriented and empowered a room full of 200 people whose homes were destroyed in the Thomas wildfire.  Bringing the combination of seasoned empathy and technical/legal expertise that makes UP’s Roadmap to Recovery program a unique and valuable source of disaster recovery…
Ventura Roadmap to Recovery Workshop 1/22/18
Ventura Roadmap to Recovery Workshop 1/22/18

United Policyholders hosted a Roadmap to Recovery Insurance Orientation workshop for Thomas Fire Survivors in Ventura on Monday, January 22nd from 6-8pm.  The workshop was led by 1991 Oakland/Berkeley firestorm survivor and UP Board Chair Sue Piper at the Board of Supervisors’ Hearing Room at…
Roadmap to Recovery Workshop for Partial Loss Survivors – Santa Rosa: Wednesday, 1/17/18
Roadmap to Recovery Workshop for Partial Loss Survivors – Santa Rosa: Wednesday, 1/17/18

Workshop for Partial Loss Survivors United Policyholders is hosting its next Roadmap to Recovery workshop in Santa Rosa for North Bay partial loss wildfire survivors on Wednesday, January 17th.  The workshop will start at 6PM at 547 Mendocino Ave. at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Santa Rosa.…
California lawmakers propose bills to beef up disaster insurance coverage
California lawmakers propose bills to beef up disaster insurance coverage

State legislators have introduced a package of bills that would beef up or extend insurance coverage to policyholders following declared disasters, but only one would be retroactive and apply to victims of the recent wildfires. Critics say the bills could drive up insurance premiums and…
Safe Houses – Rebuilding in fire zones requires new thinking
Safe Houses – Rebuilding in fire zones requires new thinking

Tragic losses from the October firestorms are still very fresh in our hearts and minds. Discussions about how to rebuild are difficult and sensitive. Dan Wade of United Policyholders says, “Rebuilding in a fire ecology can present unique challenges in the insurance process. Knowing how…
Now that’s coverage — Insurers sent private fire crews to homes threatened by the Thomas Fire
Now that’s coverage — Insurers sent private fire crews to homes threatened by the Thomas Fire

Debra Salem-Drake was packing to evacuate as a wildfire moved within a half-mile of her Ventura home when she got a surprising call. Her insurance company was offering to come spray her home with fire-blocking gel…for free. It was Dec. 5, the second day of…
Insurance Companies Require Written Inventory From Fire Victims’ Burned Homes
Insurance Companies Require Written Inventory From Fire Victims’ Burned Homes

When the overnight firestorm raged through Santa Rosa in October, nothing in the three-bedroom house at 1445 Starview Court survived. “Nothing,” said homeowner Holly Webb. “It’s all gone.” And so, Webb was stunned when State Farm told her that getting the full $237,000 listed on…
Some homeowners lose insurance coverage as wildfire risks rise
Some homeowners lose insurance coverage as wildfire risks rise

Two days before Christmas, Oakland hills resident Anil Prasad got a letter in the mail saying his longtime home insurance wouldn’t be renewed, citing his property’s location “in an ineligible brush area.” The company offered to reinstate his policy but said it wouldn’t cover damage…