What are you doing to protect your home from the next wildfire?

Katie Rodriguez here, hoping to provide some behind-the-scenes insight into this week’s cover story on wildfire—more specifically, what you all, as well as local agencies, are doing to protect your homes when the next one comes.

My goal with this piece was to focus on solutions, or at least highlight the work being done to mitigate future impacts. Too often, wildfire coverage centers on the aftermath, the devastation and the horror stories. 

After the wildfires in Los Angeles and attending town halls across the county where local agencies addressed residents' concerns, I wanted this story to serve as a starting point to answer the question: What are we doing about it—and what are the challenges?

Fire is nothing new to Monterey County, especially for those living in Carmel Valley and Big Sur. Many of the people I spoke with have already lived through one or more fires. The insurance crisis also isn’t new, and it’s impacted residents long before the fires spread across L.A.

But several things have changed, or at least been expedited, since then. There are updated Cal Fire maps that provide a more nuanced picture of fire hazard areas, expanding these high-fire hazard zones. Agencies are also increasing enforcement of home inspections, working with residents to comply with state defensible space mandates.

There is a lot that didn’t make it into this story. Insurance is its own issue—the Weekly has written stories over the years, including after the Camp Fire that happened in 2018, and as sticker shock set in for homeowners attempting to get coverage through the FAIR plan last year. The insurance crisis continues to evolve: many are still being dropped, and while the state is trying to stabilize the market, there’s more to unpack here. 

I also touch briefly on the financial strain of home hardening, but this too deserves more discussion. My email inbox is open to thoughts on the above.

As the story was heading to print Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $135 million available for new wildfire projects. This money will fund local efforts to reduce wildfire fuels and more. The application opened on June 25, and will close Aug. 6. Eligible applicants include certified local conservation corps, Fire Safe Councils with a 501(c)(3) designation and more.

We know wildfires live and die by the weather (exacerbated by climate change); in some cases, there is only so much one can do. But at the end of the day, homes are fuel. Small steps you take to protect yours might end up saving your home, or at least give firefighters a fighting chance.

Grab your coffee and have a read here.