Six months after Eaton Fire ripped through the Altadena area, numerous wildfire survivors agree that their insurance company is their biggest barrier to returning to their homes.
On the six-month anniversary, hundreds of Eaton Firefighters gathered for a letter-writing campaign, calling on Gavin Newsom and lawmakers to hold insurance companies accountable, and banning state farm insurance from fee increases until Eaton’s fire claims are resolved.
One of the Eton Fire Survivors who has been doing continuous standoffs with State Farm, the Wendy Davis insurance company.
Davis, a retired attorney specializing in contracts, has waived his privacy rights to remove barriers to NBC Los Angeles getting answers from insurance companies.
“It’s like everyday trauma,” Davis said. The house was damaged by severe smoke when the fire soot and debris jumped into her house.
Five months after the cleanup, several rooms in the house continued to test positive for asbestos, according to test results shared by David.
“Everything at 10 seems to be concerned with me. We’re 16,000,” Davis shows test results for NBC Los Angeles.
Davis and her husband are unable to live in the house until the toxins are cleaned up, so the couple is left with their credit cards maximizing while the state farms wait for them to approve their claims.
“We moved – I lost a truck – 14 or 15 times,” Davis said.
According to Altadena residents, the couple still have a stable roof above their heads, ranging from homes of friends and family to short-term rentals and hotel rentals.
Davis said state farms are walking her despite her repeated attempts to approve her claims.
“For the first month, I had to ask someone to answer the phone. We had five coordinators in a month,” she explained.
Davis said she was able to eventually track down state farm executives. Meanwhile, she said she is still negotiating with state farms to cover her temporary home.
“Take care of us as you say when you buy your policy,” Davis said.
NBC Los Angeles contacted State Farm on Davis’ behalf, but the company was unable to get a detailed answer, as it said “we are currently considering this claim.”
“We work actively with our customers to provide claim payments in cooperation with all the benefits that are eligible under the insurance contract,” the insurance company said. “We are committed to consistently delivering all the benefits available to all our customers through our policy. We ask you to address any questions and concerns directly to policyholders.”
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