08-05-2007, 11:11 AM
In the early nineties, when 200 or so houses were destroyed in Kalapana, it's interesting that the houses lost were mainly the folks who were insured. Insurance companies refused to pay anything unless a home burned. Many people had no choice but to watch as lava slowly approached their property and inundated their houses. Those without insurance payed a somewhat reasonable sum ($10,000 ?) to have their homes moved. I always felt this was terribly stupid of the insurance industry, as most people could have happily bought new land and moved their homes for a fraction of the total loss payout. Has this situation changed in the decade following Kalapana's destruction?