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 on Southern California’s Wildfires” and “Revisiting California’s Wildfires: A Personal Journey,” Insurance Journalist Russ Banham describes his family’s evacuation from the 2025 California wildfires, and the family’s decision to prepare the home they love for future events.
What people say about UP
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United Way
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Christopher and Urmila - 2017 Tubbs Fire Victims
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County of Lake, CA
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County of San Diego
“(United Policyholders) provided helpful insights into the state of the current insurance market for earthquake, fire and flood coverage, and the critical rile insurance plays in the ability of our communities recover from such catastrophic events. You brought an important and unique perspective to the hearing, that of homeowners themselves.”
California State Senate
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Wildfire Survivor 2014