Daniel Brownuses a chat app with his mother while surveying damage to his homeafter a fire tore through his neighborhood in Lower Lake, Calif.,Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016. People forced to flee a massive wildfire inmountains north of San Francisco heaped anger on a man whoauthorities believe set the blaze that wiped out several blocks ofa small town. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson)
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones revealed that insurers havereceived nearly 45,000 insurance claims totaling more than $11.79billion in losses after a spell of wildfires affected California inthe last three months of 2017.
|Thirty-two thousand (32,000) homes, 4,300 businesses, and 8,200vehicles, watercraft, farm vehicles and other equipmenthave been destroyed.
|Related: California proposes stronger laws to help wildfiresurvivors with insurance claims
|"Whole neighborhoods were wiped out, as wind-driven flamesdestroyed thousands of homes, upended tens of thousands ofresidents' lives and tragically killed more than 45 people acrossthe state," said Jones.
|Jones issued formal notices to insurers as thedestruction unfolded. One asked insurers to waive the requirementfor policyholders to submit a detailed home inventory and pay up to100% of contents coverage to spare survivors the burden of listingevery item lost in the fires. Insurers that did agree to Jones'request make more than 98% of the total loss claims filed.The California Department of Insurance continuesto work with insurers who have not agreed with the request todetermine if they will reconsider their position.
|While affected residents continue to receive assistance, thedepartment must deal with another natural disaster as mudslides struck the coastal town of Montecitoshortly after the new year started.
|Related: The aftermath of wildfires: Insurance coveragequestions answered
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- All PropertyCasualty360.com news coverage, best practices, and in-depth analysis.
- Educational webcasts, resources from industry leaders, and informative newsletters.
- Other award-winning websites including BenefitsPRO.com and ThinkAdvisor.com.
Already have an account? Sign In
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
