Northern California wildfire victims learn your insurance company is not your friend

[BSdetect]

3. People are just leaving here in Norcal after losing their homes

and usually all their possessions. My friends lost virtually everything but a few documents and a bag of photo negatives. They had 2 minutes warning and barely made it to their car.

To rebuild now costs more than what the insurance companies are paying out.

And it takes a long time to get new plans / permits despite what local governments say about that. After two years you lose rent insurance. So if you do have new mortgage to pay you will also have rent to pay on top.

We know of at least one person who has already bought a better house in another state at a much better price than here. He has to commute about 40 miles now and will not rebuild.

Builders are buying empty blocks from people who will not rebuild.

The local Kaiser has 77 staff who lost homes. Many in the affluent parts of this town. How many will bother to go through the rebuilding hurdles?

Rents have shot up, vacancies are rare.

If you were near retirement and had to start all over and go through the rebuilding nightmare why would you stay here?