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I live in the Pacific Northwest, along the Lewis and Clark Trail, where the air is wet and the world is green. We have a lot of rain, and even more days I just call “wet-air” where it isn’t raining but, the sun is covered from view by a blanket of damp think air. It makes for a lush moist environment. The problem is our ground is wet, and we live along rivers, near tall mountains and nature is much bigger than anything any man has built around here!
Landslides are normal catastrophes too many families around here face. Even, the multi-million dollar custom built homes in Oregon’s Street of Dreams for 2006 have been completely destroyed by landslide this year. In one southwestern Washington town, the entire landscape has been completely changed by the movement of the earth. One home is clearly at risk of being swallowed up by the moving river. This causes concern for debris blocking the river and flooding sections of the lower parts of the town. Everyone can only stand by and watch and wait to see what happens next.
Most homeowners will never recover a single penny for landslide or sink hole damage. There are special landslide policy offered in the specialty lines markets and generally very expensive for premiums. Mudslide is generally only covered by flood insurance offered by the federal government.
In a mudslide, muck and mire are carried by flood waters along the surface of the land, and often end up in a basement, room or all over the whole house. Mudslide would be covered under a Flood Policy but, like flood it wouldn’t be covered under an ordinary homeowner policy.
In a landslide the ground crumbles and falls on your home or out from under your home. And flood insurance does Not cover this kind of damage. A landslides or sink hole where home is swallowed up completely can only be insured with expensive insurance. The cost can be around 40 cents each year for every $100 of coverage. That works out to be about $1,200 for a home with $300,000 insurance. Landslide insurance is so expensive because the damage is most often catastrophic. A landslide claim means an insurance company is replacing a completely new home the majority of the time.
While some of the choices of homes might include beautiful cliff views, rivers or other changing land features deciding where you want to live comes with certain risks. The cost to insure against some of the most catastrophic risks might be worth the investment for those who understand the chances of facing the worst case scenario. It’s beautiful to live in the Pacific Northwest or along the Ocean or in the mountains, but these kinds of places are where nature makes the rules. Some things can’t be insured without paying a huge premium, and some things are worth the price as long as you plan for it before you jump in!
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