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The example of the Daneaus, who lost two homes to fire within five years, shows the situation. It doesn't make sense to insure against losses which happen so frequently -- and it generally doesn't make sense for people to do the things that risk such frequent losses, such as owning houses in such places.
A billionaire might not mind the need to rebuild a vacation home after each fire. Aside from that, everyone living there must live in rented housing. But owning a house to rent out would not be feasible without insurance, either. So there can't be houses there in rural areas.
Cities may be safer, if they are carefully defended against fire. The city needs to be surrounded by fire barriers, such as wide belts where fire is easy to put out. Buildings must not be flammable -- not made of wood, for instance. Conduits must be buried deep. With these measures and perhaps others that don't occur to me, maybe the city could make buildings insurable and thus feasible.
Under these limits, much of the reasons people want to live in regions such as the US west would be gone. The inhabitants would be much fewer.
I speculate that it might be safe enough for a limited number of people to live outside the city in RVs. Residents could evacuate in the vehicle it when a fire comes anywhere near. When all those who could drive it go away, they could move it to a protected area until they return.
If you are unhappy about this change, don't forget who is chiefly to blame: the planet roasters, rich individuals and businesses who are blocking climate defense measures and actively misleading the public, for their own profit. They are imposing many new dangers on our ecosphere. Uncontrollable wildfires are just one of them. Disastrous floods, permanent inundation, spreading tropical diseases, heat stroke, ecological disconnection, disruption of agriculture and consequent food scarcity, and, someday, fighting over what food exists.
Americans, I urge you campaign and vote this year, to help the candidates that support climate defense. Most Democrats support it more or less, but few Republicans do.
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Copyright (C) 2024 Richard Stallman
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