The Camp Fire in Northern California and the Woolsey Fire in suburban Los Angeles continue to burn, with the death toll reaching 48 as weather remains dry throughout the state. More than 6,700 structures have been lost in the raging fires in California. The total cost to the state, insurers and homeowners is expected to… Continue reading California Wildfires Making State’s Insurance Crisis Even Worse
Tag: homeowners insurance
Wildfires in California Blamed on Bad Building Decisions
California’s deadly wildfires have a straightforward solution, experts say: stop building homes in places that are likely to burn — and make homes that already exist in those areas a whole lot tougher. That approach, wildfire and climate policy experts are quick to add, would be expensive and unpopular, especially in a state with both… Continue reading Wildfires in California Blamed on Bad Building Decisions
Firefighters Battle Deadly California Wildfires, At Least 31 Dead
Firefighters are battling two deadly California wildfires that have claimed at least 31 lives, left more than 200 people missing and put a quarter million residents under evacuation, while unhealthy smoke levels have prompted warnings to stay indoors. The Camp Fire in Butte County, about 100 miles north of Sacramento, grew slightly to a total… Continue reading Firefighters Battle Deadly California Wildfires, At Least 31 Dead
California Fire Forces Mass Evacuations from Malibu to Calabasas; Many Homes Lost
The Woolsey Fire made a destructive march through Ventura and Los Angeles counties on Thursday, destroying numerous suburban homes, closing freeways and causing portions of cities from Calabasas and Thousand Oaks to Malibu to be evacuated. The 8,000 acre fire jumped the 101 Freeway Friday morning and was making a march toward the Pacific Ocean,… Continue reading California Fire Forces Mass Evacuations from Malibu to Calabasas; Many Homes Lost
How Harvey Transformed House-Hunting in Houston
Katie Gibson knew exactly where she wanted to live when she moved to Houston in June: the Heights, a leafy, walkable neighborhood that had minimal damage from Hurricane Harvey in the summer of 2017. What the 33-year-old energy-company manager didn’t know was that it would take her six months and $1.4 million to buy a… Continue reading How Harvey Transformed House-Hunting in Houston
Travelers to Sell Home-Security Gear via Amazon
Travelers Cos. plans to sell discounted home-security and sensor devices to its home-insurance customers on Amazon.com Inc. starting Wednesday, the first time an insurer will have a retail presence on the online retail giant. Insurers around the world are scrambling to make their policies simpler and easier to buy. For years, the act of purchasing… Continue reading Travelers to Sell Home-Security Gear via Amazon
CA Gov Brown Signs Wildfire Safety Bill Blasted as PG&E Bailout
Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed sweeping legislation designed to remedy California’s past, present and future wildfire ailments, brushing aside criticism that it is a bailout for PG&E, which faces a troubling mountain of liabilities linked to infernos that torched Wine Country and other regions nearly a year ago. “Wildfires in California aren’t going away,… Continue reading CA Gov Brown Signs Wildfire Safety Bill Blasted as PG&E Bailout
Home Price Appreciation in Highest-Risk Natural Hazard Cities 1.7 Times the Overall Market Rate Over Last Decade
ATTOM Data Solutions, curator of the nation’s premier property database, today released its 2018 U.S. Natural Hazard Housing Risk Index, which found that median home prices in cities with the top 80th percentile for natural hazard housing risk have appreciated 40 percent on average over the last 10 years — 1.7 times the 24 percent… Continue reading Home Price Appreciation in Highest-Risk Natural Hazard Cities 1.7 Times the Overall Market Rate Over Last Decade
Massachusetts Residents Cleared to Return to Areas Hit by Gas Explosions
Residents of three Massachusetts communities were allowed to return to their homes on Sunday for the first time since a series of gas explosions killed one man and set dozens of buildings on fire. Natural gas leaks, believed to have been caused by over-pressurized lines, on Thursday triggered a series of explosions and fires in… Continue reading Massachusetts Residents Cleared to Return to Areas Hit by Gas Explosions
Fewer Households in Hurricane Florence’s Path Have Flood Insurance than in 2013
Fewer homeowners in North and South Carolina own flood insurance than five years ago, signaling many won’t have access to ready cash if they need to rebuild after Hurricane Florence. Standard homeowners’ insurance policies typically cover damage from fire and other storm-related events. But they exclude storm surge and other flooding damage—and wind damage, in… Continue reading Fewer Households in Hurricane Florence’s Path Have Flood Insurance than in 2013