LOS ANGELES — Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called on California’s top insurers Wednesday to pay out coverage for Los Angeles policyholders whose homes are uninhabitable because of smoke and fire damage from the deadly January wildfires.
In a letter obtained first by NBC News, Schiff said people whose residences are still standing must not be forced to return “until their homes have been tested, cleaned, repaired, and are safe and habitable.”
His letter follows an NBC News report highlighting the difficulties many policyholders are facing to get their insurance companies to cover living expenses, including rent, clothing and relocation costs.
“My constituents expect their homeowners’ insurance to provide them peace of mind that they will have a safe place to live when unthinkable tragedies like the Palisades and Eaton fires occur,” Schiff wrote in the letter to 10 insurance companies, including State Farm, Allstate, USAA and AAA.
“Just because a home is accessible does not mean it is habitable.”
A residence can be deemed uninhabitable if it is near downed power lines and trees, toxic water and hazardous materials associated with fires, according to the California Department of Insurance.
Some 150,000 people were displaced and at least 29 were killed when the Palisades and Eaton fires tore through entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles County on Jan. 7.
Residents with homes still standing in the burn zones face tens of thousands of dollars in costs to remediate and deep-clean lingering toxins inside the structures and in the soil.
About 150,000 people were displaced by the Los Angeles-area wildfires in January.
The remediation process can be long and expensive as private companies fan out across Pacific Palisades, Altadena and surrounding communities. Work crews pull out insulation, repair roofs and windows, wash walls and paint and detoxify contaminated interiors.
Residents are often expected to pack up or discard smoke-damaged belongings, including furniture, clothing and other items with porous surfaces.
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department issued an advisory last month for people living within 250 yards of a burned structure or parcel, warning of increased risk of exposure to hazardous substances from debris, ash and soot.
The warning applies until all hazardous waste and fire debris are removed, the department said.
Some fire survivors said they expected to pay $100,000 or more for full remediation, and they complained insurance companies were delaying approval of work orders and rental costs.
The uncertainty about whether they can afford to move forward without payouts for so-called additional living expenses (ALE) only compounds their trauma, grief and loss, they said.
“My office is hearing from affected homeowners who are having difficulty accessing their ALE benefits until they can safely return home,” Schiff wrote in the letter, adding that some policyholders are having to reapply for benefits every month.
He is asking the insurance companies to provide more information and explain how they are following state requirements by March 14.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Read the full article here