Periods of heavy rainfall have been predicted for winter. Beyond flooding dangers, heavy rainfall often leads to mudflow – a river of mud – and landslides caused by destabilized land shifting due to gradual erosion or sudden accumulation of water. Mudflows can be as dangerous and costly as mudslides. Mudslides occur
Wildfires in the Western United States have increased in frequency and intensity. This year in California, the wildfire season began long before the actual fire season, and the fires have broken records. The horror, devastating damage and loss of the fires and smoke affects nearly every Californian, there’s an additional threat
We all live and work in buildings with smoke detectors, but Californians haven’t adopted innovative new technology: water detection devices that warn about water damage from leaks or pipes. Western homes are much more likely to be damaged by water than by fire, but only a fraction have installed devices that
Wherever in the western United States your home is located, it’s likely to be in a flood zone. That’s because flood zones are everywhere. In fact, almost 41 million Americans live in flood zones, according to a study published in the Environmental Research Letter. In 2017 alone the National Flood Insurance
For years, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was the only game in town when it came to securing residential flood insurance. There are now options for California homeowners living in flood plains mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency – Private Flood Insurance options that can result in premium savings
I’m sure you’ve heard hundreds of reasons you shouldn’t get flood insurance, because believe me I have heard it all throughout my career! Some of the most popular reasons I usually hear are that a homeowner doesn’t live in an area that can flood or that homeowner’s insurance should cover
If you live in California, watch television, listen to the radio or browse the internet, then you've most likely heard about El Niño and the possibility of flooding in the coming months. Amid all the talk about flooding and subsequent need for flood insurance, there are still more questions. Most people understand the basic idea
The answer has always been: “You need it if the bank tells you that you need it.” That answer can cost you dearly. What would you think the most common Natural Disaster for Property Damage is? Most of us would say “Fire,” but we would be wrong. Fire accounts for