A new set of bills proposed in the Hawaii legislature would help homeowners in fire and volcano zones to purchase home insurance.
The Kilauea Volcano in 2020 destroyed 200 homes and 723 structures, according to Insurance News Net.
When all the paperwork and online forms are filed, it’s predicted fire victims in Maui will file $1.3 billion in claims.
Already, University Property and Casualty has announced its intention to pull out of the Hawaii market.
State Rep. Greggor Ilagan (D, Hawaiian Paradise Park-Hawaiian Beaches-Leilani Estates) has introduced 10 bills alone and Rep. Kyle Yamashita (D, Pukalani-Makawao-Ulupalakua) has introduced a bill to create a special fund that would allow the state to self-insure.
In addition, three bills in the house would increase staffing and funding for fire prevention, Hawaii Public Radio reports.
“If you compare our Hawaiʻi wildfires with the wildfires on the continental United States in terms of percentage of acreage burned every year, Hawaiʻi has a higher percentage than the continental United States,” Rep Linda Ichiyama said. “We see because of climate change, wildfires that are becoming more severe and burning larger acres.”
She chaired a working group to come up with recommendations shortly after the Maui Fire.
The wildfires have been a top priority in the new legislative session that began in mid-January.
“As we go forward, we want to make sure it doesn’t happen on any other island,” Senate President Ron Kouchi (D) said to ABC.
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