Wealthy Elites Flee Endless Fire Season, But Most Americans Face a Different Reality

Aaron Paul and his wife just relocated to Paris after LA’s deadly wildfires. “We just knew that we were done with LA,” the actor told reporters, selling their $10 million Los Feliz estate and decamping for a “year abroad.”

It’s a stark reminder that climate adaptation comes with a price tag most can’t afford.

While celebrities can simply move to Paris when fire season becomes unbearable, 35.6 million U.S. properties face escalating insurance costs and dwindling coverage due to extreme weather risks. The average homeowner premium has jumped 24% in five years—82% in high-risk zones—leaving families with three choices: pay more, self-insure, or leave.

Nearly half of U.S. homes now face severe threats from fire, flood, wind, and extreme heat. That’s $22 trillion in residential property at risk. Insurance carriers are retreating from entire markets, and homeowners are stuck holding the bag.

Home-hardening works: properties retrofitted to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety FORTIFIED standards saw minimal damage after Hurricane Sally. IBHS is a voluntary, beyond-code construction and re-roofing program designed to strengthen homes and commercial buildings against severe weather like hurricanes, high winds, hail, and tornadoes. The standards are based on decades of research and real-world storm damage data to address common construction weaknesses.

Top insurers now offer 5-50% premium discounts for protective measures like fire-resistant roofing, defensible space, and impact-resistant windows.

XHome Survey (coming in 2026) will identify specific construction improvements for each home.

Today, you can download our Magic Window app to peer into the future about what to expect for the next 75 years in your neighborhood.

Download on the app store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/future-proof-magic-window/id6744974762

Get it on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.futureproof.magicwindow.staging&hl=en_US

When the next fire season hits, most Americans won’t be moving to France. They’ll be fighting to save what they’ve built.