At the heart of the Boise National Forest in theIdahoPlacerville, a small town with only 53 habitantsgoing through difficult times. Overnight, several insurance companies decided to terminate their contracts without warning. Residents, like Steve Koppes, find themselves in a very difficult situation, both financially and emotionally.
Why these sudden cancellations?
Placerville residents are perplexed after seeing their insurance disappear overnight. Steve Koppes was one of the first to be hit more than a year and a half ago. “I was fired. Not a word, not a letter, nothing,” he says, still surprised by the total lack of communication from his insurer.
The reason behind this wave of terminations? Placerville's unenviable ranking at level eight by the Idaho Office of Insurance Ratings Since 2010. This high score indicates a major risk to homes due to frequent fires in the region.
It costs residents dearly
Steve Koppes finally found insurance, but it costs him a lot more now. And he is not the only one: his neighbors have also been impacted or expect to be soon. “It will eventually affect everyone,” predicts Koppes realistically.
This financial burden comes on top of the already present stress due to the incessant threats of fires. Residents must now seek often more expensive solutions to protect what they own.
A threat that still looms
Climate change is not helping matters: oppressive heat, violent winds and dry vegetation are all ingredients that fuel forest fires. A PolicyGenius survey shows that 6 % of American homeowners have lost their insurance because they live in at-risk areas.
Even though Placerville was spared in 2024year when 52 houses have burned elsewhere in Idaho, the threat remains very present. In the Great Basin (which includes Idaho, Nevada and Utah), 1,2 million d’acres went up in smoke that year.
-Actions to limit the damage
Faced with these climatic and financial challenges, some residents did not wait to act to protect their property against fire. Steve Koppes took several measures: cutting the low branches around the trees near his home, creating firebreaks and surrounding his house with protective rocks. “If it burns there, it won’t come to my house,” he said confidently.
Collectively, Andrew Bourett, local fire chief, is also working to improve the village's reputation with the Insurance Assessment Bureau. Two new water sources reinforce firefighting: a natural pond and a freshly installed underground cistern that can hold up to 113 562 litres of water.
Placerville illustrates the complex challenges that small rural communities face in the face of increasing climate change and brutal decisions made by some insurance companies. As these residents seek to adjust their daily lives to these new economic and environmental realities, they remind us how important it is to actively prepare to face the consequences of climate change on our homes and our lives.
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