Soaring winter storm warnings hit Southern California as a powerful snowstorm bears down on the region, prompting concerns among residents in recent burn areas about their insurance coverage. Homeowners seeking to understand if their policies will cover damage from severe mudslides or debris flows resulting from wildfires need to know that policy specifics can be murky.
Insurance broker Dana Dattola explains that under normal circumstances, most homeowner’s insurance policies don’t explicitly cover mudslide-related damages unless flood insurance is specifically included in the policy. However, California State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently announced a reminder for insurance companies about their obligation to cover such losses.
When a hillside begins to slide due to adjacent wildfire damage, homeowners with fire insurance might be covered, according to Dattola. It’s essential for them to file a claim and follow up with the California Department of Insurance if initially denied coverage. The department will enforce carriers’ responses to flood claims related to wildfires.
Notably, this announcement focuses on California residents living in recent fire zones who have fire insurance but lack explicit flood coverage.
Source: https://abc7.com/post/california-insurance-commissioner-says-homeowners-fire-zones-will-covered-event-debris-flows/15895038