Over the past decade, increasingly catastrophic wildfires have wrought unprecedented destruction and upended the basic math of the insurance industry. In some of the riskiest parts of the country, homeowners have seen spiking premiums or lost their coverage altogether.Today on the show, we travel to the forested foothills of Northern California to see how communities in wildfire-prone areas are trying to conjure the private insurance market back into existence. What actually happens when a megafire comes knocking at your door. And what all this means for the biggest question: In the age of climate change, could the future simply become uninsurable?For more about how natural disasters are changing the insurance industry: Insurance in the time of climate changeInside the insurance industry’s destruction labEpisode 797: Flood Money Episode 570: The Fine Print Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookThis episode was produced by Vito Emanuel and edited by Jess Jiang. It was engineered by Travis Hagan and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio - "FasterFasterBrighter," "Country Butter," and "Chrome and Wax"Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
A firefighter tries to control a fire burning down a house. Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Over the past decade, increasingly catastrophic wildfires have wrought unprecedented destruction and upended the basic math of the insurance industry. In some of the riskiest parts of the country, homeowners have seen spiking premiums or lost their coverage altogether.
Today on the show, we travel to the forested foothills of Northern California to see how communities in wildfire-prone areas are trying to conjure the private insurance market back into existence. What actually happens when a megafire comes knocking at your door. And what all this means for the biggest question: In the age of climate change, could the future simply become uninsurable?
For more about how natural disasters are changing the insurance industry:
This episode was produced by Vito Emanuel and edited by Jess Jiang. It was engineered by Travis Hagan and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.
Music: NPR Source Audio - "FasterFasterBrighter," "Country Butter," and "Chrome and Wax"
Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org .
NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews. Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR.
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