Tyler Perry Slams Insurance Companies’ ‘Pure Greed’ Amid Wildfires
Tyler Perry criticized insurance companies that implemented policy changes before the wildfires that devastated much of Los Angeles.
“Watching a daughter use a garden hose to try to protect her parents’ 90-year-old home because their insurance was canceled just made me sick,” Perry wrote on Instagram on Sunday, January 12.
“Does anyone else find it shocking that insurance companies can take billions of dollars from communities for years and then, all of a sudden, be allowed to cancel millions of their policies and those people who made them rich?” the filmmaker continued. “People who have paid premiums all their lives are left with nothing because of pure selfishness.”
He concluded, “As I’m still trying to figure out what steps to take to do everything I can to help as many as possible, I’m keeping everyone in my prayers.”
According to the Los Angeles TimesState Farm General, California’s largest home insurer, announced in March 2024 that it will not renew 30,000 home and condominium policies when they expire – 1,600 of which are located in Pacific Palisades.
According to the Timesinsurance company Chubb stopped writing new policies for high-priced homes designated as high-risk for wildfires, while Allstate also stopped writing new policies.
Tens of thousands of people have left their homes because of the wildfire that started a path of destruction through Los Angeles early Tuesday, January 7, when strong winds fanned the fast-moving brush fires in the Pacific Palisades. The fire has spread to surrounding areas, including Malibu and the Hollywood Hills.
According to local authorities, the death toll has reached at least 16 people and is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue. NBC News reports that the fire has burned 37,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.
More than 150,000 people have been placed under mandatory evacuation orders, including stars like Mark Hamill, Jennie Garth again Mandy Moore. However, a number of celebrities were not so lucky as their homes were destroyed in the fire, including Paris Hilton, Anna Faris, Heidi Montag again Spencer Pratt, Billy Crystal, Mel Gibson again Milo Ventimiglia.
According to AccuWeather, wildfires may be the costliest in US history, with total economic losses estimated at between $135 billion and $150 billion as of Thursday, January 9.
Check the LAFD website for local wildfire warnings and click here for resources on how to help those affected.