It costs Americans almost twice as much to insure their home in a region at high risk of climatic disaster (hurricanes, mega-fires) compared to the most spared sectors, according to a report published Thursday by the Treasury Department.
As fires continue to rage in Los Angeles, the department released a massive survey of what homeowners have to spend to insure their homes across the country.
In recent years in the United States, insurance premiums have everywhere increased faster than inflation. But the bill was much heavier for homeowners living in areas considered at high risk of being affected by climate-related events.
This particularly concerns the areas prone to hurricanes, in the southeast and northeast of the country, those regularly hit by devastating storms, in the Great Plains and the Midwest, and, at the other end of the country, the regions most likely to be devastated by fires, such as California.
-On average, according to the report, between 2018 and 2022, homeowners living in the highest risk regions paid $2,321 for their insurance [par an, environ 2 250 euros]or 82% more than those whose housing is located in the least risky areas.
In addition, these owners are faced with insurance disengagement: in the most risky regions, the rate of non-renewal of contracts is 80% higher than in the least risky areas.
“One area where many Americans are now feeling the financial impact of climate change is their home insurance,” a department official told reporters.
