Recent weeks saw Los Angeles experiencing one of Southern California's most heinous wildfires. Flames consumed hillsides, jumped freeways, and devoured whole neighborhoods. They forced families out of their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Not only homes, but, rather, people and lives were burnt in flames. The pain of losing everything is worsened for many by another looming disaster: an insurance crisis that has families turning in every direction for relief.

What Are Wildfires and Why Are They Occurring?

Wildfires, also known as open fires or bush fires, are uncontrolled fires of great magnitude that spread very rapidly through shrubland, grasslands, or even residential areas.

They can ignite naturally, for instance, via lightning, but are predominantly caused by human activities like careless campfires, defective electrical equipment, and even downed power lines. In California, a dangerous alignment of dry weather, strong winds, and blistering heat unfurls perfect settings for fires to break out.

The wildfires that have so far occurred this year were amongst the most catastrophic Los Angeles has ever encountered.

According to Cal Fire, approximately 12,300 homes were damaged or destroyed after over 40,500 acres had been burned.

The city, when smoke kept churning itself one more up-front sky, remained behind the curse of health warnings and evacuations for weeks. Harried families recounted how they fled from the raging fire just before deep people on that cursed night.

Image credit: Mike McMillan/USFS from Wikimedia Commons

Take the Quiz: What Spring Movie Should You Watch Based on Your Personality?

Figure out the perfect spring movie to watch based on your mood, preferences, and personality traits!

The Role of Homeowners Insurance

Homeowner's insurance is meant to be a financial safety net when disaster strikes, like forest fires. Insurance companies are supposed to help cover the costs of recovering your home when it's destroyed or badly damaged. It's like a financial lifeline to help bring you back to your feet.

But here's the harsh reality: That lifeline is fraying. Being a business, the insurance companies want to earn profits. That is why many of them are feeling they are losing much because of a few billion damages in California due to forest fires.

Some have gone to the extent of pulling out from high-risk areas and canceling existing policies, refusing coverage renewals for families within wildfire-prone zones. The premium is too high for families who are still able to procure insurance, some have experienced their monthly bills double, triple, or even quadruple.

Imagine, for years, they had the insurance premiums paid with full trust in the provider to stand behind them when they needed them most—then, with wildfire season upon them, a letter arrives announcing that their policy has been canceled. Such is the hard reality for many families in Los Angeles and other regions of California.

Insurance companies are pulling out of these areas because they see it as too risky. The math is simple: Wildfires are occurring in greater frequency, which is creating damage and leading to a level of payments that the insurance companies can't afford.

Actual Stories from the Fires:

• Los Angeles single mother Miriam Cotero lost her newly remodeled home to the Eaton Fire. She had just increased her home's worth to $1.2 million but hadn't gotten around to updating her policy, which only insured $200,000. She is now left with an $800,000 mortgage and no affordable way to rebuild. (Source: New York Post)
• Celeste Vander Ham, a Rancho Capistrano resident, saw her premiums soar from $1,000 to $10,000 annually after the 2018 Holy Fire put her area into high risk. She was dumped by her insurer and had to resort to California's FAIR plan. Living on a fixed income, the couple refinanced their house with a 30-year loan to cover the cost of the insurance but now have to make the heartbreaking decision to sell their house and relocate out of state. "We're going to be driven out because of homeowner's insurance," she said. (Source: CNN Business)
• Jamie Lite, of Acton, an hour or so north of Los Angeles, got notice she was being dropped by her homeowner insurer the same day her husband and son, both firefighters, were out fighting wildfires. "It was insult to injury," she said. Her premiums already had risen from $1,750 to $7,000 in three years, and she expects more with a new insurer. She felt trapped, she said. (Source: CNN Business)

It's just too much for many families to take. You lose your home and discover you're on your own to rebuild. That is fast to add against down payments for construction, materials, and temporary housing! Without insurance, families are left with no choice other than emptying their savings accounts, piling on loads of debt, or perhaps giving up their desires to start rebuilding altogether.

It rips at you emotionally, too. Homes are full of memories. Losing a house is like losing a part of yourself.

Image credit: Jen Theodore from Unsplash

What Are Leaders Doing to Address the Crisis?

California’s leaders are trying to beat the insurance crisis. They are reinforcing the FAIR Plan to make it more accessible and are getting insurance companies to return to high-risk areas with powerful financial incentives. Slow progress is being made, and families wish help would arrive sooner.

But there are also ongoing attempts to mitigate the risks of wildfires in the first place. This includes controlled burns, tree thinning and better management of forested areas, and advocacy for homeowners to make their properties more fire-resilient by employing fireproof materials and even clearing brush around their homes.

Why Should Teens Care About This?

You might be thinking, “I don't own a house; why should I care?" Here is why:

• It's a Community Issue: Wildfires do not only affect individual families; they impact entire neighborhoods, schools, and towns. If a wildfire hits your community, you'll feel its effects, too.
• Climate Change is Real: The insurance crisis is a symptom of a bigger problem: climate change. Your generation holds the torch to push for solutions and bring about change.
• It's About the Future: One day down the line, you might like to own a home. Understanding these obstacles will help prepare you for the road to come.

What Can You Do to Make a Difference?

Even as a teenager, you can make a difference. Here are a few ideas on how you can do this:

• Become aware: Research wildfires, insurance, and climate change. When you become aware of such issues, you will be able to inform others about them. Knowledge is power so the more knowledge you have, the better you will work toward creating awareness.
• Join Climate Action: Enroll yourself in environmental clubs in school or in your local organizations. Support legislation passing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase clean energy production.
• Assist Your Community: If your community experienced wildfires, find ways to support those affected. Run a fundraiser or volunteer at shelters, or just help a neighbor in need.
• Speak Up: Talk with your parents, teachers, and friends about what you learned. Share your ideas, and encourage others to take a stand.

Image credit: Jasmin Sessler from Wikimedia Commons

The Bigger Picture

These fires constitute some of the worlds' most important news stories, creating deep, human impacts. They're reminders that climate change is real, that it's not merely about melting ice caps or rising sea levels, but about families losing their homes, kids losing their schools, and communities struggling to rebuild.

But the bright side is, we can hold out hope. Armed with this information and empowered with an aptitude for action, teens like you can engage in creating a future where these calamities are less likely to happen and where families, when such disasters do take place, find there is help for rebuilding their lives.