by Viv Corridor

Created on: April 16, 2008

Home ownership is the American Dream, and every American should have the right to pursue that dream in the manner and the location of his choice. Of course people should be able to build homes on any parcel of land they have legally purchased, including on the edge of government lands.

That said, people who expose their homes to potential wildfire damage by building near fire-prone government lands should be prepared to deal with the consequences. Just as owners of homes in flood-prone areas pay high flood insurance premiums to protect their belongings from the threat of damage by flood, those who build or buy homes in areas prone to wildfire should be prepared to pay more for fire and homeowners insurance. And to pay to rebuild at their own expense.

Unfortunately, too often foolhardy homeowners are unprepared for and unwilling to deal with the consequences of building in high-risk geography. They fail to follow appropriate risk-reducing building practices while constructing the home. They neglect to purchase the costly insurance they would need to repair or replace their homes in case of damage. Instead, they turn to the federal government (and their fellow taxpayers) to bail them out when their homes are damaged or demolished by the realities of where they have chosen to locate.

It's not the government's responsibility, or the responsibility of any mortgage company, insurer or other citizen to tell someone where they can or can't build a home. It is, however, within the rights of all those groups to refuse to absorb the cost of any individual homeowner's decision to build in a high risk area. It is their right to refuse to shoulder the financial burden created by any individual homeowner's imprudence in failing to purchase sufficient insurance.

People should be permitted to build in any high risk area they choose, including flood plains and near areas where the threat of wildfire damage is high. However, they should also be required to follow optimum safe building practices, and to demonstrate that they have purchased and maintained enough insurance to rebuild in case the worst happens.

Learn more about this author, Viv Corridor.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.