Climate change is causing more destructive wildfires, prompting home insurers to reconsider coverage in the state.
More destructive wildfires bolstered by climate change are causing Texas insurers to take note, write Delger Erdenesanaa and Christopher Flavelle in the New York Times. “In most of Texas, wildfires happen in the summer. But across the Southern Plains, including the Texas Panhandle, fire risk is highest around March when temperatures warm, strong winds blow over the flat landscape and dry grass left from the previous growing season can easily catch fire.”
The Smokehouse Creek fire raging in the Panhandle region is now the largest in the state’s history, fueled by high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds. “Temperatures in Texas have risen by 0.61 degrees Fahrenheit per decade since 1975, according to a 2021 report by the state climatologist’s office,” while relative humidity has decreased.
“Texas homeowners saw their insurance rates increase 53.6 percent between 2019 and 2023, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence.” Some insurers have started leaving the state altogether, mirroring a similar situation in California.
FULL STORY: Climate Change Is Raising Texas’ Already High Wildfire Risks
California Bans Insurance Companies From Dropping Homeowners in Wildfire Zones
The one-year moratorium is a stopgap measure to assist homeowners affected by recent wildfires as the state assesses ways of addressing the root causes of increasingly damaging natural disasters.
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Judge Halts Enforcement of Anti-Homeless Laws in Grants Pass
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Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
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