Tyler Perry is opening up about the devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires — and criticizing insurance companies for the role they played as people lost their homes.
In a post shared on his Instagram on Sunday, Jan. 12, the 55-year-old star producer wrote candidly about some of the tragic scenes he has witnessed over the past week.
“Watching a daughter use a garden hose to try and protect her 90-year-old parents’ home because their insurance was canceled was just gut-wrenching to me,” Perry wrote. “Does anyone else find it appalling that insurance companies can take billions of dollars out of communities for years and then, all of a sudden, be allowed to cancel millions of policies for the very people they became rich on?”
“People who have paid premiums all of their lives are left with nothing because of pure greed,” he added. “As I am in the process of trying to figure out what steps to take to do all I can to help as many as I can, I am keeping everyone in my prayers.”
Many Los Angeles residents have spoken out against what they deemed exploitative insurance companies, after the Los Angeles Times reported that insurers including State Farm General, the largest home insurance business in California, announced it would not be renewing thousands of home insurance policies in Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other fire-prone areas in 2024.
Stories of residents choosing to defend their homes from the flames by themselves — such as the 66-year-old man who died trying to keep his house from being burned by the Eaton fire with a garden hose — have also garnered national media attention.
While insurance companies have been pulling back on their home policies in California, amid concerns about natural disasters, officials have taken steps to try to encourage insurance companies to stay in the state.
Though the insurance companies draw widespread criticism for dropping policies for catastrophes like the L.A. fires, they say changes must be made (including raising premiums) in order for them to financially be able to cover insurance in places like Southern California. Otherwise, they argue, they wouldn’t be able to afford policies for anyone.
Consumer advocates have accused them of focusing on profits over people.
California also offers the FAIR Plan, through the state, as a backup insurance option to cover some damages and costs.
Residents using insurance from other companies were also left with much costlier policies and without adequate means to cover their losses, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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Additionally, The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the wildfires are expected to be the costliest in United States history, with the economic losses estimated at around $50 billion.
The destructive Palisades fire first began in the L.A. neighborhood of Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, and has since burned more than 23,700 acres with 11% containment, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. On the other side of L.A. County, the Eaton fire also began on Jan. 7 and has already burned more than 14,000 acres. Additional fires have also sprung up in the Southern California area.
Many celebrities have shared that they have lost their homes in the fires, including Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Billy Crystal, Anna Faris, Cobie Smulders and Taran Killam, Paris Hilton, Candy Spelling, Cameron Mathison, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, John Goodman, Ricki Lake, Cary Elwes, Anthony Hopkins and Eugene Levy.
Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.
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