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A year after Eaton Fire, some business owners aim to return or go on while also dealing with rebuilding their homes.The small business owners and others CalMatters spoke with for this story stressed the importance of thoughtful and timely help from insurance companies, community organizations and all levels of government for businesses and residents as key to the recovery of the unincorporated town of about 43,000 residents — even for the businesses that survived the fire.
Jimmy Orlandini, owner of Altadena Hardware, thinks it might take five years to reopen his business at its original location after almost the whole building burned down.A year after the Eaton Fire, some small business owners in Altadena are striving to rebuild, in some cases while also grappling with being displaced from homes that burned down or were severely damaged.“People want me back,” Meyers said. “But I don’t know if we can survive up there. No one lives there … mentally I’m not there.” Meyers said she had just received a delivery before the fire last January, so about 65 animals perished, including cats, rats, birds and a 40-year-old parrot. The store is now permanently closed, and its website shows a message from former employee Michael Mersola, who said he would miss it because “people would just here, I swear it was Starbucks for animal lovers lol.” Meanwhile, Carrie’s husband Ed is dealing with trying to rebuild their home, which burned down. He has dealt with a long insurance process with State Farm that has, four claims adjusters later, finally improved. One adjuster “was the king of no” and “existed like a great cloud in our lives for four to five months,” Ed Meyers said. “Then one day, like winning the lottery, we got a new adjuster.” Other survivors of the fire that killed 19 people have complained about insurance companies assigning them multiple adjusters, slowing things down. Now, Ed said things are looking better than they were six months ago and they are on their way to rebuilding, though they were underinsured, something many fire survivors have in common. The small business owners and others CalMatters spoke with for this story stressed the importance of thoughtful and timely help from insurance companies, community organizations and all levels of government for businesses and residents as key to the recovery of the unincorporated town of about 43,000 residents — even for the businesses that survived the fire. “Our struggling businesses can’t afford patience,” said Nic Arnzen, chief of the Altadena Town Council, who called the community’s path to recovery a chicken-and-egg situation. “Without the population returning to Altadena, they’re in a tough corner.” Los Angeles County has received about 2,700 applications for permits to rebuild in Altadena, according to the county’s dashboard. Of those, the county has issued about 1,200 permits and 560 homes are being rebuilt right now.Jimmy Orlandini, owner of Altadena Hardware, thinks it might take five years to reopen his business at its original location after almost the whole building burned down. “Five years is an eternity to not have a business running,” he said. As others rebuild, they will need a hardware store, so he is looking for a temporary place to run his business as he waits for the property owner to rebuild. He had 21 employees at the time of the fire; he thinks most of them have found other jobs, while some are relying on unemployment benefits. His family has been in the hardware business for decades, and he has two other locations elsewhere. But he has deep ties to the community, having lived in Altadena for 40 years, since he was 2.Orlandini displays a photo on his phone of what Altadena Hardware looked like before it burned in the Eaton Fire last year. It’s one of the few photos he has of the store. All other photos of his business were kept in the store and burned during the fire.The Woodbury Building in Altadena on Jan. 12, 2026. The building burned during the Eaton Fire last year. Since then, it has undergone some repairs, but has yet to be largely rebuilt.The Woodbury Building in Altadena on Jan. 12, 2026. The building burned during the Eaton Fire last year. Since then, it has undergone some repairs, but has yet to be largely rebuilt. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters “It’s really difficult,” he said. “Altadena was our best store in terms of revenue, and our relationship with the customer base.” Orlandini and his family returned to their house in October. It did not burn down even as “everything around us burned,” he said. But Mercury Insurance eventually deemed it a total loss because of smoke damage and lead contamination of all its contents. “We have no couch,” he said. “We’re sitting on camping chairs in the living room. The kids still haven’t gotten their toys back.” But he said they finally received a big portion of the payout for the contents of their house a couple of weeks ago, so “now we can start buying stuff.”A common refrain among Altadena’s small business owners: Some of the help available to homeowners is not extended to them. Matt Schodorf co-owns Café de Leche with his wife, Anya. Their home, about 15 to 20 minutes away in Highland Park in Los Angeles, is fine except for some ash in the attic. He understands that Altadena homeowners whose homes were destroyed and want to rebuild need assistance — those are his customers. But their Altadena coffee shop, the only one whose building they owned out of their four locations and which he said was their busiest store, burned down. Now they’re dealing with the rebuilding process and in some ways are feeling left out. “FEMA in particular excluded us from debris removal originally,” Schodorf said. So Schodorf and his wife complained and were featured “on all the media” including CNN. FEMA included Café de Leche in federally funded clearing of debris after the media appearances, Schodorf said. He also credited L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office for advocating for them. Schodorf also said, as did others, that the Los Angeles Department of Economic Opportunity has been a huge help in providing information about grants and other support. Still, “it feels frustrating because it feels we are very small potatoes, especially from the perspective of the government,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like it would be too much to ask: waive permit fees, clean our lots out. Don’t make us go on national news pleading for help.” Melted glass on a window pane in the Woodbury Building on Jan. 12, 2026. The building burned during the Eaton Fire in Altadena last year.Daniel Harlow, whose office was destroyed, agreed that businesses need more help. His custom computer programming and software development business is up and running again, but it was in a separate structure at his home and was a total loss. “A lot of rules for homeowners insurance don’t apply to businesses,” he said. “To not have more assistance for small and medium businesses is a problem.”Harlow is now dealing with both rebuilding his office and repairing his house, which suffered some damage. He’s living in a rental home. “I’m trying to find architects and contractors while running my business,” he said. “It’s basically full-time job.”Zak Fishman’s Prime Pizza in Altadena is the only pizza restaurant of the four in Altadena that survived the fire. It was a bit of good news for his family. Their house burned down, and they’re now rebuilding. Fishman, who owns several other locations in the Los Angeles area and elsewhere, said his Altadena location was closed for about a month but is now doing pretty well, considering the circumstances. “We do see a shift,” he said. “You see different types of people coming. A lot of workers in the area had nowhere else to eat .” Fishman opened the Altadena location in September 2023 and was seeing a lot of growth, he said. He said sales at the location probably would have been up 20% over the prior year if the fire hadn’t happened. Now he says they’re up about 8% to 10%.With about half of Altadena’s businesses destroyed in the fire, it’s going to be a long way back. Judy Matthews, president of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, said her group is working with other chambers and the county to help promote shopping local, and to identify more opportunities for grants and help for small and medium-size businesses. “There’s increasing collaboration between local government and business,” she said. “That’s critical. No one man can stand alone and say I did it.”When more of the community is able to rebuild, it could end up looking drastically different. Whether homeowners return could depend on their insurance provider and whether they can fill the gap from being underinsured, some said. Whether small businesses rebuild could depend on what type of service or goods they offer, and their location. “Most worrisome are retail and specialty shops, and those that depend on a steady flow of customers,” Matthews said, noting that Altadena’s limited foot traffic and visibility because of its location has been and will continue to be a factor. Arnzen, the town council chair, said there is “a lot of competition for funds and assistance. There’s potential for people to feel left out. That is exacerbated by feelings of trauma and in some cases, historical neglect, especially from marginalized communities.” Nearly half of Black households in Altadena, or 48%, were destroyed or had major damage, according to the NAACP.Orlandini, owner of the hardware store, said he expects his business and customers to change. “It’s definitely going to be a different town,” he said. “My store was catered to older homes, and a lot of those are gone now.” He added: “That’s the thing that bothers me most about the fire — how much of the history is gone and will never come back.”The State Department said Wednesday it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration has deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.The State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become"public charges" in the U.S.The step builds on earlier immigration and travel bans by the administration on nearly 40 countries and is part of President Trump's ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for foreigners.The State Department said Wednesday it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration has deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States. The State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become"public charges" in the U.S. The step builds on earlier immigration and travel bans by the administration on nearly 40 countries and is part of President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for foreigners. "The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America's immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people," the department said in a statement."Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits." The suspension, which will begin Jan. 21, will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas, who make up the vast majority of visa seekers. Demand for non-immigrant visas is expected to rise dramatically in the coming months and years due to the upcoming 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics both of which the U.S. will host or co-host.A separate notice sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates said that non-immigrant visa applicants should be screened for the possibility that they might seek public benefits in the United States. "With the uncovering of massive public benefits fraud across the United States, the Trump administration is laser-focused on eliminating and preventing fraud in public benefits programs," said the cable that referred specifically to most non-immigrant visa applications and was sent on Monday. The cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, urged consular officers to ensure that foreigners wanting to travel to the U.S."have been fully vetted and screened" for whether they may rely on public services before they are issued a visa. The cable noted several times that it is up to the applicant to prove that they would not apply for public benefits while in the U.S. and said consular officers who suspect the applicant might apply should require them to fill out a form proving their financial bona fides. President Trump's administration has already severely restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for citizens of dozens of countries, many of them in Africa, Asia and Latin America.The November guidance on which Wednesday's decision is based directed U.S. Embassy and consulate officials to comprehensively and thoroughly vet visa applicants to demonstrate that they will not need to rely on public benefits from the government any time after their admission in the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio makes a statement to reporters while meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday.While federal law already required those seeking permanent residency or legal status to prove they wouldn't be a public charge, Trump in his first term widened the range of benefit programs that could disqualify applicants, and the guidelines in the cable appear to go further in scope. Immigrants seeking entry into the U.S. already undergo a medical exam by a physician who's been approved by a U.S. Embassy. They are screened for communicable diseases, like tuberculosis, and asked to disclose any history of drug or alcohol use, mental health conditions or violence. They're also required to have a number of vaccinations. The new directive expanded those with more specific requirements. It said consular officials must consider a range of specific details about people seeking visas, including their age, health, family status, finances, education, skills and any past use of public assistance regardless of the country. It also said they should assess applicants' English proficiency and can do so by conducting interviews in English. Experts said at the time it could further limit who gets to enter the country at a time when the Republican administration is already tightening those rules. The countries affected by the suspension announced on Wednesday are: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.Why it matters: "After a day of panic across the country, non-profits and people with mental health conditions are deeply alarmed, but also hopeful that this money is being restored," said Hannah Wesolowski with the National Alliance on Mental Illness.cut off late Tuesday without warning "After a day of panic across the country, non-profits and people with mental health conditions are deeply alarmed, but also hopeful that this money is being restored," said Hannah Wesolowski with the National Alliance on Mental Illness. An administration official confirmed to NPR that the cuts, first announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , were being reversed. They asked not to be identified because they didn't have permission to speak publicly about the decision. They said all of the roughly 2,000 organizations affected by the whiplash series of events were being notified that full funding would be restored. NPR was unable to confirm who triggered the initial decision to terminate the grants by sending letters that abruptly signaled programs no longer"aligned" with the Trump administration's public health agenda. After sending the letters, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA went silent, offering no clarification to health care providers or the public about what would happen next or where patients should go for care. The sudden defunding and lack of communication triggered a backlash from local officials and care providers, who said the American public would see a rapid dismantling of essential safety net programs. "We provide treatment, life saving treatment," said Dan Lustig who runs the Haymarket Center, the largest non-profit addiction treatment program in Chicago, which treats people at high risk while using illicit drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamines. "If people don't get access to treatment they just die. That's a fact," Lustig said."You can spin this any way people want to, but people are going to die." The American Medical Association weighed in, issuing a statement saying it was"deeply concerned" by the cuts and calling for grants to be restored. "At a time when patients already face too many barriers to care, sudden funding disruptions risk leaving them without the support and treatment they urgently need," the statement said. That message reached members of Congress. Republican and Democratic lawmakers scrambled to urge White House and Health and Human Services officials to reverse course. "We heard from offices on both sides of the political aisle who were working on this issue throughout the day," said Wesolowski. The bipartisan pressure, she added,"really speaks to the power of the collaboration on this issue." While most of the talks happened behind closed doors, some Democratic lawmakers publicly blasted the Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for what they described as roughshod treatment of front-line care providers. "After national outrage, Secretary Kennedy has bowed to public pressure and reinstated $2 billion in SAMHSA grants that save lives," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut. "Our policy must be thoughtful – not haphazard and chaotic. This episode has only created uncertainty and confusion for families and health care providers," she added. While confusion over funding was apparently short-lived, public health organizations and other sources told NPR that the termination letters demoralized staff in a system already weakened by deep cuts to Medicaid, enacted by the Republican-controlled Congress last year. For 24 hours, it was unclear which programs would survive and who would still have jobs when the dust settled. Dr. Yngvild Olsen, an addiction treatment physician who served as the director for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment inside SAMHSA until July 2025, said the turmoil also raised questions about who in the Trump administration is making key public health decisions. "My understanding is that much of the staff at SAMHSA was caught unaware," Olsen said."These were decisions made without the input of experts in these programs and experts in this field." For months, Trump administration officials have been signaling they think many of the country's current public health programs are ineffective and need to be replaced. But public health experts told NPR there has been little or no communication with frontline groups that provide much of the actual in the U.S. Meanwhile, no clear plan from the administration has emerged. Instead, local government agencies and non-profits caring for patients have faced a series of threats, disruptions and funding chaos.If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.MLK Day celebrations, a nature-inspired photography show in Venice, bring your book to the park, make chopsticks in East L.A. and more of the best things to do this weekend.An afternoon of poetry, music and art honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. awaits you at the Blu’ Arts gallery in Long Beach. What better time to start woodworking than just ahead of the Lunar New Year with this chopstick-making workshop at Allied Woodshop in East L.A., led by Ali Chen? This whole week has been summer in January, so keep the sunny vibes going and bring your book, a blanket and a donation for Project Angel Food to the L.A. Historic Park for the first Park Pages, a new monthly group read and hang. The Fleuria indie book truck will be there, along with plenty of fellow sun-loving bookworms. to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at this free concert. The group is the largest Black-majority orchestra in the nation, with more than 100 musicians and choir singers total. for Copenhagen restaurant Noma’s upcoming residency here in L.A. In this economy? I think I’d rather fly to Copenhagen. Nonetheless, if you’re lucky enough to snag a reservation, please report back. While that did not make any of our staffers' resolution lists, Senior Marketing Manager Patricia Tumang has some food goals of her own, including getting a coffee at Quat L.A., trying some dipping ramen for lunch at Tsuke Artisan Noodle in Pasadena and getting a basturma sandwich at III Mass Bakery & Deli in Glendale . Much more reasonable .recommend new-school SoCal punks Together Pangea at the Teragram on Friday, old-school SoCal punks Black Flag at the Roxy, or Beastie Boys associate Mix Master Mike at the Venice West. Saturday, there’s the big iHeartRadio ALTer EGO show at the Forum with Green Day, Cage The Elephant, Good Charlotte, Sublime, Twenty One Pilots, Gigi Perez, Myles Smith and Almost Monday. Nikka Costa is at the Venice West, or head to Riverside to see legendary teen idol Shaun Cassidy at the Fox Performing Arts Center. Plus, a treat on both Saturday and Sunday: Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra will be playing the Troubadour, with a 4 p.m. matinee on Saturday for those of us who like to be in bed early!The small gallery Arcane Space in Venice punches above its weight, with top-tier shows and a winding venue that lets out to a very cool, neighborhoody patio in the back. Choreographer and artist Morleigh Steinberg owns and operates the gallery, which has hosted inspiring new artists and group shows lately, but this time she’s showing her own work. Steinberg’s mesmerizing nature photos are printed on silver mylar substrate and show her adopted Ireland in a new — and possibly even more emerald — light that you can imagine.Freedom of speech is in the news daily, and no one championed the right to say what you want in a more direct way than comedian Lenny Bruce. Directed by Tony Award-winning actor Joe Mantegna, this one-man show combines Bruce’s classic comedy bits with biographical insight.Usher in the new year with the Big Butter Jazz Band as the Downtown Long Beach Alliance kicks off the first DTLB Live!, a new recurring monthly event series bringing live music, crafts and family-friendly activities to the Promenade every third Saturday of each month. There will also be live swing dancers, a maker’s market with local vendors, food, drink and much more.Watch the playoffs, drink a mimosa, soak up some sun on the patio — what could be better? There will also be tunes from DJ El Cizzle, and bottomless mimosas are $35.This whole week has been summer in January, so keep the sunny vibes going and bring your book, a blanket and a donation for Project Angel Food to the L.A. Historic Park for the first Park Pages, a new monthly group read and hang. The Fleuria indie book truck will be there, along with plenty of fellow sun-loving bookworms.If you thought your dates were bad, just wait until you hear the unhinged horror stories of some of your fellow single Angelenos at About Last Night. The regular storytelling showcase features locals getting up on stage and sharing their funniest, most outrageous dating stories.More than one of our LAist staffers had “go to a woodworking workshop” on their 2026 L.A. resolutions list. What better time to start than just ahead of the Lunar New Year with this chopstick-making workshop at Allied Woodshop in East L.A., led by Ali Chen?This is for my fellow film nerds and our raison d’etre for living in L.A. The Academy Museum hosts this screening of a 4K restoration of 1965’sAn afternoon of poetry, music and art honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. awaits you at the Blu’ Arts gallery in Long Beach. The day features acoustic jazz and spoken word poetry curated and hosted by Tommy Domino, an author, poet and teacher. Plus, enjoy the gallery’s work by current artists-in-residence, Shelton Gillis, Mohammed Mubarak and Wan Jean the Artist.The sounds of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of L.A. will fill the Skirball Center to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at this free concert. The group is the largest Black-majority orchestra in the nation, with more than 100 musicians and choir singers total.One of my favorite discoveries of 2025 was the charming SteepLA, a teahouse in a Chinatown plaza that also houses restaurants and art galleries. They are launching jazz jam sessions, starting with one on Friday in their courtyard. Tea cocktails and their after-dark menu will be available.For homeowners, the battle to collect insurance money after the Eaton and Palisades fires has exacerbated a grueling recovery that's far from over. Some fire survivors have had to scramble for other sources of funding to try to rebuild. Others have gone into debt while bouncing between rental housing, as they wrangled with State Farm and other insurers over coverage.State Farm is California's top home insurer, and many customers around Los Angeles started to get checks in November after L.A. County announced it was investigating complaints about how the company had handled claims fromThe insurance industry says it has been dealing with years of rising disaster costs that have forced companies to raise premiums and to limit coverage in some high-risk areas. AndNine months had passed since a wildfire destroyed Mark Johnson's southern California home, and he was still waiting for State Farm to pay his claim. Desperate for a resolution, Johnson asked the insurer in October to negotiate a settlement so his family could rebuild. "I was on the verge of leaving money on the table," Johnson recalls,"just to get some kind of assurance of what we could move forward with.""Needless to say, it was a huge relief," Johnson says, fighting back tears.For homeowners, the battle to collect insurance money after the Eaton and Palisades fires has exacerbated a grueling recovery that's far from over. As Johnson's case with State Farm languished, he had to scramble for other sources of funding to try to rebuild. Other fire survivors have gone into debt while bouncing between rental housing, as they wrangled with State Farm and other insurers over coverage. The struggle Los Angeles residents have faced with insurers mirrors what's happening in communities around the United States. Years of rising premiums, due in part to threats from climate change, have added to the frustration with insurance companies. "This is a national issue," Rep. John Garamendi, a California Democrat, told reporters recently. He added,"the first commandment of the insurance industry is to pay as little, as late as possible.""The rebuilding process is underway, but frustration with the pace is understandable," David Sampson, chief executive of American Property Casualty Insurance Association, an industry group, said in a statement to NPR."Insurers have paid tens of billions of dollars to policyholders impacted by the fires, and that process continues."more than 16,000 structures around Los Angeles. They rank as the most expensive blazes ever globally, with $40 billion of insured losses,Soon after the fires were extinguished, homeowners started to complain about how insurance companies were responding to the disaster. "The price tag is so staggering for the insurers here that they are bringing strategies to try to limit the pain" they experience financially, says Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a national consumer advocate."But it's nothing new under the sun what we're seeing." In November, the Los Angeles County counsel opened an investigation of State Farm following reports from residents that the company delayed, underpaid and denied valid insurance claims. The county counsel's office declined to comment on the state of the investigation.Chen of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network says State Farm's alleged behavior was devastating for its customers. "Around February or March, I realized that whether a family was recovering or not depended largely on which insurance company they were with, which was shocking," Chen says."These are all people who have been paying insurance premiums faithfully for 20 or 30 years, but only some of them were getting the benefits.""With total loss, it's a very clear-cut, 'OK, we either rebuild or we sell. And if we rebuild, it's this. And if we sell, it's that.' And we do not have any paths to take," says Krista Copelan, whose Altadena home suffered smoke damage and lead contamination in the fires."It's 100% trying to figure it out, fighting every step of the way, having no clear-cut answers." Until about Thanksgiving, Andrew Wessels says State Farm resisted replacing his family's personal belongings, like clothes and bedding, that had been contaminated with lead, insisting the items could be cleaned instead. As the one-year anniversary of the fires approached, Wessels still didn't know how much State Farm would pay to remediate lead contamination in his Altadena house. To get rid of all the toxic ash, Wessels says floorboards need to be pulled up and walls torn down.As they've waited, Wessels, his wife and two young children have moved a dozen times, and the family has taken on tens of thousands of dollars in debt. A lot of families are in similar situations. In Altadena, 65% of residents are still in temporary housing, according tothis month from Department of Angels, a nonprofit that was set up to help victims of last year's fires. In Pacific Palisades, the number is even higher, with nearly three-quarters of residents still displaced. As the recovery has dragged on, the toll on residents has grown, according to the Department of Angels report. Around half of respondents said they have depleted much or all of their savings. And about the same share said they worry about their mental health. "I think everyone has been overwhelmed and drained for, literally, the past 11 months," Copelan, a State Farm customer, said in December.More than a thousand miles east, in Oklahoma, State Farm faces separate allegations that it has shortchanged policyholders. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican,"Oklahomans are paying rising homeowners insurance premiums yet receiving less protection in return, as State Farm simultaneously pursues additional rate increases while allegedly escalating its claims denials and underpayments practices," Drummond wrote in a In Texas, Democratic state Rep. Mihaela Plesa recently told reporters that homeowners who are struggling to pay for insurance in her district near Dallas routinely have their claims denied. "That's not insurance, that's extraction," Plesa said."That's a system that's designed to pull maximum dollars out of Texas pockets and providing minimum protection when disaster strikes." And in southwest Florida, Jessica Gatewood, a Realtor, told NPR that home insurance feels like"a scam." "You pay into it for, like, 30 years, 40 years, and then you have to make a claim, and they don't want to pay you what you actually need," Gatewood says. The insurance industry says it has been dealing with years of rising disaster costs that have forced companies to raise premiums and to limit coverage in some high-risk areas.in part because climate change fuels more-intense storms, floods and wildfires that damage and destroy property. Additionally, people continue to move to coastal regions vulnerable to hurricanes and to forested areas prone to wildfires. That means more property is in harm's way. Then, when homes get damaged or destroyed, inflation has made it more expensive to rebuild. Robert Gordon, a senior vice president at American Property Casualty Insurance Association, the industry group, says Florida and other states have also been plagued by cases of what Gordon described as insurance"fraud" related to alleged roof damage from storms, which he says have contributed to rising costs.In California, Mark Johnson hopes to move into his rebuilt Altadena home by fall. Reflecting on his ordeal with State Farm, part of him wonders if the insurer was just overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster. But he can't shake the feeling that all of the delays he faced were intentional. "They're just trying to push you away," Johnson says."They're trying to make it difficult for you so that you won't ask for much, so you'll be happy with whatever you get."
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