The family lost their home in the Altadena Fire and had been staying with Moshfegh's parents. As they started to move in here, writing that first rent check brought home the challenges they now face. Last summer, like so many others in L.
Their broker called around trying to replace it, but told the couple their entire ZIP code was "closed. Over the past few years, tens of thousands of Californians have faced the same shock.
Major companies like State Farm and Allstate have been pulling back as wildfires in the state have intensified. That's forced many people to turn to insurers of last resort, which typically cost more but offer less coverage. Now, fire victims like Moshfegh and her husband, Daniel Clason Hook, say that limited coverage will make recovery — and hopes of rebuilding — even more difficult. After their broker struck out, she told them they'd have to go with a policy through their mortgage company.
Mosghfegh said they've only just realized how much less that covers than their old policy. Their insurance will pay for rebuilding the home, though likely only half the cost.
That means all the equity they'd built up — much of it through her husband's hard work to improve the place — is gone. Their policy also will not cover all the possessions they lost or the rent for temporary living arrangements until they can rebuild. Looking back now, Moshfegh says that if their old insurance company had told them they needed to charge more to keep the policy, she would have gladly paid.
