“ Ahem….wildfires, flooding, tornadoes in other parts of the country.”
Try getting fire insurance in the Sierras in California. My in laws just went through that. It’s damned near impossible to get and if you do it’s very expensive. This is as it should be.
There is almost no private sector flood insurance available anymore. That’s now a quasi government program. Most insurance companies don’t even offer it anymore and if you build in a known flood plain they won’t even talk to you.
And tornados, while incredibly destructive, a much more localized than hurricanes. Tornadoes don’t wipe thousands and thousands of homes and businesses all at once. Hurricanes do.
It’s really not that hard to understand.
L
We pay upwards of $2K for fire insurance here in Butte County in the lower portion of the foothills. Your in laws probably know about the FAIR Plan and that will more in likey be the route they need to take.
All of us in the rural areas have lost our property insurance. The FAIR Plan only covers the structures, another insurance for the contents, etc...
It is a real problem in some areas of the country. At least we do have insurance through the FAIR Plan, which is in danger as its a pot of money derived from insurers operating in the state—if they pull out and they have been, then that pot of money dwindles...
At one time we were being charged a fee for living in rural areas under Gov Brown until the court said no. If that fee were to be applied to the Fair Plan Pot, then maybe it would work? Only those living in “rural” areas had to pay the fee.
Then again, what about the Coffey Fire in Santa Rosa? That was a suburban neighborhood that was not rural in the sense like we are rural here in the foothills.
There is another issue too that all those that live in potentially hazardous zones need to consider and that is communications during the disaster and afterwards. Our area has a GMRS Radio Fire Watch System operating from a repeater located safely in the valley floor that shoots the signal back up to us here in the foothills. We have a weekly net.
This could work for those in Hurricane areas too, Road closures, etcc are known by the local population before Law enforcement—such information is handed up and down. We do this now in our area and it works.