Insurance issues mount as wildfire victims assess damage

Friday, January 10, 2025 6:27PM ET
Wildfires left complete devastation for tens of thousands of now-homeless Californians who now have very little clue as to what to do next.

An estimated 10,000 structures have burned down, reduced to ash by flames.

There's a growing concern about what exactly insurance will cover.

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The California Insurance Commissioner is working to block insurers from dropping clients.



"I call upon all property insurance companies to pause all non-renewals and cancellations and provide essential stability for our communities," said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.

The insurance landscape in California and across the country has drastically changed. CEO of All Solutions Insurance, Ranji Kapur, says companies are fleeing high-risk areas.

"Nationwide has exited completely...Hartford is on complete moratorium," said Kapur.

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Other homeowners have been dropped completely or refused renewal.



"These insurance people decided to cancel their fire. And we're going through this and it just happened and there's no fire insurance," said evacuee Lynn Guzman.

According to the 6abc Data Journalism team, the average home insurance rate has doubled in the last five years nationwide.

The concern is hundreds of thousands of customers will be priced out.

"They might have to get self-insured but with the financial loss, it's hardly going to happen. There are markets that would do it but the rates are really high," said Kapur.

It's predicted that insurance rates may not only trend higher, but deductibles may be larger. The advice from experts, save for a deductible as you would a 401K, stashing away monthly.
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