# Do/Can Hawaiians buy volcano insurance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 7, 2018, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747 "2018-05-07T12:29:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/1 "2018-05-07T12:29:07Z")
As we speak, Kilauea is destroying neighborhoods with a flood of molten rock. For homeowners seeking to mitigate risk, volcanoes present a hazard that’s rather different from simple fire or flood. In the latter calamities, your home may be utterly destroyed, but the value of your land doesn’t substantially change: the street is still there, along with water/sewage services, and with an insurance payout, you can go about rebuilding the house. But when a volcano buries your entire neighborhood in 10-20 feet of solid rock, the situation changes a bit. The streets are utterly gone, along with whatever municipal services they may have brought to your doorstep. The topography of your land has changed dramatically, and now it’s not easily excavated for a foundation and doesn’t have any topsoil to sustain any sort of ecosystem. In short, the value of your land has plummeted to a fraction of what you paid for it. Do insurance companies offer any kind of coverage for such things? Do people in Hawaii commonly buy such insurance? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/2 "2018-05-07T12:34:38Z")
[\*\*From CNN \*\*](https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/07/us/volcano-insurance-hawaii-homeowners/index.html) > [@](#): > > But there’s no such a thing as volcano insurance or lava flow insurance, said Jerry Bump, chief deputy insurance commissioner at the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. It’s such a specialty and so infrequent, that it’s not available, he said. > > However, damage could be covered if the homeowner had purchased a policy that covers all risk. But that kind of coverage is rare, hard-to-find and might be very expensive, Bump told CNN. It’s unclear if any of the affected residents on Big Island has that kind of coverage. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/3 "2018-05-07T13:22:42Z")
The initial cost of property in those areas would be much reduced by the risk. I know someone who owned a house on the edge of a cliff in Southern England. The price he paid back in 2002 would not have bought him a dog kennel in a nearby village - early this year, he was ordered to vacate the property and a few weeks later it fell off the edge. When I asked about insurance, he just laughed. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/4 "2018-05-07T13:33:37Z")
It’s not like volcanoes pop up overnight. The people who chose to live there should have understood the risks. And while an eruption impacting your house during your lifetime may be low, I think this falls under “you knew what you were getting into”. But I’m curious about municipal services. If you decided that after your house was destroyed you wanted to rebuild would the municipality be obligated to provide you with services, or would they just say “sorry dude, you’re on your own now”. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/5 "2018-05-07T13:49:37Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Do insurance companies offer any kind of coverage for such things? Do people in Hawaii commonly buy such insurance? I doubt anyone anywhere could get a policy covering an act of God. Or, in the case of Hawaiian volcanoes, an act of Goddess (see [Pele](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele_(deity))) As for the rebuilding issue - it depends on damage and assessed risk. I’m having trouble googling it right now because all the results come up with the current eruption, but there’s at least one Hawaiian neighborhood subjected to a lava flow that was largely buried and never rebuilt. A few people still live there, basically like squatters, with no municipal services - water, power, etc. - at all. Hawaii has no interest in rebuilding that plot of land. So some places do wind up abandoned. ---
**Author:** ![Seren359](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@Seren359](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seren359)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/6 "2018-05-07T13:53:14Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > or would they just say “sorry dude, you’re on your own now”. I think the answer might be “We will connect you if you pay the restoration costs of the services” ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/7 "2018-05-07T14:10:19Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > \*\*It’s not like volcanoes pop up overnight. \*\*The people who chose to live there should have understood the risks. And while an eruption impacting your house during your lifetime may be low, I think this falls under “you knew what you were getting into”. But I’m curious about municipal services. If you decided that after your house was destroyed you wanted to rebuild would the municipality be obligated to provide you with services, or would they just say “sorry dude, you’re on your own now”. [Well…](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin#Formation) ---
**Author:** ![Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/8 "2018-05-07T14:13:27Z")
Does anyone privately own the volcano area and, if so, do they have any liability for their land spewing lava on everyone? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/9 "2018-05-07T14:31:59Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I doubt anyone anywhere could get a policy covering an act of God. 😕 AFAIK flooding is an act of God, and you can certainly buy flood insurance. I would also expect my homeowner’s insurance to pay if my home gets flattened by a tornado, or if my roof gets shredded by hail. > [@Delicious](#): > > Does anyone privately own the volcano area and, if so, do they have any liability for their land spewing lava on everyone? I don’t think a property owner is liable for acts of God that originate on his/her property. There was [this famous case](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/dammed-beavers/) from a couple of decades ago, in which the Michigan DEQ demanded, with threats of hefty fines, that a property owner remove an unauthorized/unpermitted “debris dam” on his property that was causing flooding on his neighbor’s property; the DEQ relented when it was learned that the dams had been built and maintained by beavers with no human intervention at all. In the case of a volcanic eruption originating on private property, I can’t see how a court could hold the owner liable for an event that’s entirely beyond his control. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/10 "2018-05-07T14:57:26Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > If you decided that after your house was destroyed you wanted to rebuild would the municipality be obligated to provide you with services, or would they just say “sorry dude, you’re on your own now”. I’m not looking up state laws and municipal codes on utility connections but I will say that I’ve never heard of a place where the city would be obligated to rebuild the infrastructure no matter what happened to it. It’s much more likely that the city has the power to condemn the places that don’t have power/water/etc. because they are now unlivable. Those areas might get rebuilt someday if it makes sense. The city might agree to restore services if the residents will pay reconnection fees to cover the cost of rebuilding the infrastructure. Alternatively, a developer could buy the condemned properties on the cheap and put in the infrastructure necessary to get them permitted for occupation again or the developer could build something entirely new. > [@Delicious](#): > > Does anyone privately own the volcano area and, if so, do they have any liability for their land spewing lava on everyone? Again, I’m not doing the research on Hawaii liability laws but my guess is that being a volcano owner doesn’t make a person responsible for damages the volcano causes to other people when it explodes. You generally have to have violated some duty owed to those other people or have been negligent in some way to be liable for damages. I’m not sure how you could prove the volcano owner violated any duty or was negligent in a case like this. The volcano would have exploded no matter who owned it, so just owning the volcano doesn’t make the owner negligent. I assume the person who owned it didn’t do anything to cause the volcano to explode. 😉 Perhaps, and I think even this is a stretch, you might be able to assert that the volcano’s owner had a duty to warn neighbors of the exploding volcano. I’ve never heard of such a duty. If such a duty exists in Hawaii, perhaps the volcano owner could have warned neighbors of the exploding volcano sooner. To assert such a claim, the neighbors would likely have to establish facts like that the owner of the volcano saw signs it was going to explode, that reasonable interpretation of those signs was that the volcano was going to explode, that the affected neighbors themselves didn’t also see those signs or otherwise have warning that the volcano was going to explode, that advance warning would have allowed the neighbors to reduce their losses, and that the owner negligently failed to tell neighbors of the warning signs. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/11 "2018-05-07T15:17:13Z")
People who live on a flood plain will find it difficult/expensive/impossible to insure against flood damage. Last year there were a lot of floods in England which sometimes affected places that had not been flooded in living memory. We saw on TV how many people whose homes were devastated had no insurance at all and were left homeless but unable to sell. A house I drive past regularly was flooded, but now has a concrete wall around it, some three feet high. In the nearby town, some of the shops on the riverside have covered the ground floor areas with swimming pool grade tiles. They just move the stock etc upstairs when they get the warning and mop out after. Floods are a lot less devastating than lava and earthquakes. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/12 "2018-05-07T15:31:05Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > AFAIK flooding is an act of God, and you can certainly buy flood insurance. I would also expect my homeowner’s insurance to pay if my home gets flattened by a tornado, or if my roof gets shredded by hail. There are some areas where flood risk is so high you can not get flood insurance. The government had to take over the flood insurance business some time ago because no _private_ company would take on the risk. I doubt very much any private insurance company is going to take on the risk for volcano damage on the slopes of an active volcano. You could probably insure some of your household goods, but not the home or the land, or so I assume - if someone from Hawaii states differently take their word over mine. As for tornadoes and hail - those tend to be spotty. You can live a lifetime in Tornado Alley and never be hit by one, even if your next door neighbor’s house takes a trip to Oz. On top of that, neither hail or tornadoes leave the land itself useless, unlike a foot thick (or more) coating of lava. Tornadoes and hail are more like fire damage, you still have your property and can rebuild. Lava is something else. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/13 "2018-05-07T16:15:34Z")
> [@Delicious](#): > > Does anyone privately own the volcano area and, if so, do they have any liability for their land spewing lava on everyone? Despite the many advantages of owning an active volcano, they are usually outweighed by the headaches associated with identifying and employing willing sacrificial virgins to keep the periodic eruptions under control. Even the most diligent owners are sometimes duped by suicidal nonvirgins, resulting in suboptimal magmatic effluence episodes. Given privacy laws, there is no good case laws defining due diligence in these scenarios, and it is unclear if the tort is thus feased by the owner or the (now deceased) “virgin”. As a result of the legal complexities, local judiciaries defer to the “act of God(dess)” defenses, leaving property owners without recourse. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/14 "2018-05-07T16:38:15Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > There are some areas where flood risk is so high you can not get flood insurance. The government had to take over the flood insurance business some time ago because no _private_ company would take on the risk. I doubt very much any private insurance company is going to take on the risk for volcano damage on the slopes of an active volcano. You could probably insure some of your household goods, but not the home or the land, or so I assume - if someone from Hawaii states differently take their word over mine. > > As for tornadoes and hail - those tend to be spotty. You can live a lifetime in Tornado Alley and never be hit by one, even if your next door neighbor’s house takes a trip to Oz. On top of that, neither hail or tornadoes leave the land itself useless, unlike a foot thick (or more) coating of lava. Tornadoes and hail are more like fire damage, you still have your property and can rebuild. Lava is something else. I don’t dispute that the hazard of tornadoes/hail/floods is quite distinct from that of volcanoes. You made a broad claim about the probable inability of anyone anywhere being able to obtain insurance against acts of God, and that’s what I was disputing. Yes, there are some places where you can’t get flood insurance, but [there are other places/circumstances that _require_ it](https://www.fema.gov/faq-details/Flood-Insurance-Requirement), and I’m pretty sure my own insurance will pay out if my house is damaged by tornadoes or hail. IOW, yes, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to obtain insurance against acts of God, even if volcanoes aren’t on that list. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/15 "2018-05-07T16:59:49Z")
You’d think that this sort of thing would have come up before. There are real risks from volcanos in several parts of the world – Italy, Iceland, Indonesia. Surely the possibility of insuring againmst such calamities has been considered before. Have a look at this article from 2010: > **[Italy's Mt. Vesuvius Ranked as Europe's Most Dangerous Volcano](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2010/04/15/109050.htm)** > > A major eruption of Italy's Mount Vesuvius could result in 8,000 fatalities, 13,000 serious injuries and total economic losses of more than $24 billion, > [@](#): > > A major eruption of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius could result in 8,000 fatalities, 13,000 serious injuries and total economic losses of more than $24 billion, says a new study. > > According to the Willis Research Network (WRN), Vesuvius now ranks at the top of the list of Europe’s 10 most dangerous volcanoes. > The WRN volcano risk ranking, which examines European volcanoes with potentially affected populations of greater than 10,000, was developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge, the University of Naples Federico II and Willis Re, Willis’ reinsurance broking arm. > > In the paper titled, “Insurance Risks From Volcanic Eruptions in Europe,” the researchers propose that the ranking be used as the basis for developing the first detailed insurance risk models for volcanoes in Europe and various European overseas territories. At present, no such models exist. The Insurance Information Institute offers these interesting guidelines: > [@](#): > > A volcanic eruption is one of nature’s most destructive forces, and can result in damage or destruction to homes, businesses, transportation and agriculture. > What’s covered > > •Most home, renters and business insurance policies provide coverage for property loss caused by volcanic eruption when it is the result of a volcanic blast, airborne shockwaves, ash, dust or lava flow. Fire or explosion resulting from volcanic eruption also is covered. > •Homeowners and business owners’ policies also provide coverage for property damage, vandalism or theft due to looting if the occupants are displaced. > •There is typically a 72-hour waiting period before business interruption coverage kicks in. > •Damage to vehicles caused by lava flow is covered under your auto insurance policy if you have comprehensive coverage, which is optional. Direct, sudden damage to engines from volcanic ash or dust is also covered under most policies. > > What isn’t covered > > •Most home, renters and business insurance policies do not cover damage from earthquake, land tremors, landslide, mudflow or other earth movement regardless of whether or not the quake is caused by or causes a volcanic eruption. Earthquake insurance is available from private insurers as an endorsement to a homeowners policy, and in California from the California Earthquake Authority, a privately funded, publicly managed organization. > •Damage to land, trees, shrubs, lawns, property in the open or open sheds (or the contents of those sheds) is typically not covered. > •The cost to remove ash from personal property is generally not covered unless the ash first causes direct physical loss to personal property. There is also no coverage to remove ash from the surrounding land. > •Business interruption insurance does not kick in unless you have an endorsement to your business owners policy for earthquake and volcanic eruption and: > — there is direct physical damage resulting in suspended operations; > — there is physical damage to other property that prevents customers or employees from gaining access to the business; > — the government shuts down the area, preventing customers or employees from gaining access to the premises. > > •Damage that occurs to homes, businesses or vehicles over time due to volcanic dust is not covered under most policies. > •Volcanic Effusion (i.e. volcanic water and mud) is not covered under a typical homeowners, renters or business insurance policy. However it is covered by flood insurance, available through the National Flood Insurance Program. > > What to do after a volcano eruption•Remove ash and dust from the roof of your home as soon as it is safe to do so. Ash is heavy and can cause damage to your roof or gutters if allowed to accumulate. > > •Avoid prolonged driving in airborne or accumulated volcanic ash. Volcanic ash or dust can cause severe damage to your engine. > •If your vehicle is exposed to heavy volcanic ash, change your air filter and have the vehicle checked by a qualified auto mechanic as soon as possible. > •Remove ash from your vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. Prolonged exposure to volcanic ash and dust can chemically damage the paint and glass. > •Do not wipe or brush the ash or dust that accumulates on your vehicle or windows. Volcanic ash is very abrasive and can easily scratch your vehicle. Carefully wash the ash from your vehicle with a stream of water from a garden hose. > > Active volcanoes in the U.S. > Active volcanoes in the United States are found mainly in Hawaii, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest. For example, Mount St. Helens in Washington State erupted on May 18, 1980, causing an estimated $31 million in insured losses, according to Munich Re. The eruption killed 57 people and wrought dramatic changes to the landscape. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington’s Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network maintain constant watch for signs of renewed activity at Mount St. Helens. Of all the active volcanoes in the U.S., the USGS says it is the most likely to erupt again. Should such an eruption occur, projections show that ash from Mount St. Helens could ascend as high as 20,000 feet and drift as far away as California. Searing hot magma from such an eruption would melt ice and snow, possibly triggering flash floods and mudflows. [https://www.iii.org/article/volcanic-eruption-coverage](https://www.iii.org/article/volcanic-eruption-coverage) Some of that seems to contradict what’s said elsewhere. If lava damage to your car actually is covered by comprehensive insurance, it looks as if you want comprehensive. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/16 "2018-05-07T21:48:08Z")
Boy, I hope this guy had Comprehensive Auto Insurance: > **[Watch lava consume a car, as Hawaii residents told to ‘Go now’](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/watch-lava-consume-car-hawaii-155400375.html)** > > Emergency authorities battling lava flows and gas erupting from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano warned some residents to "go now" as a new fissure opened and more structures were destroyed. I’m picturing J.K. Simmons as Professor Nathaniel Burke at the Farmers Insurance Museum, standing in front of a car half-encased in congealed lava. “Lava Flow: May 2018. We didn’t cover it, because he didn’t get Comprehensive Insurance.” ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/17 "2018-05-07T22:01:42Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > … there’s at least one Hawaiian neighborhood subjected to a lava flow that was largely buried and never rebuilt. A few people still live there, basically like squatters, with no municipal services - water, power, etc. - at all. You may be thinking of Kalapana, which was buried in Kilauea lava flows from 1990 - 91. [Some folks have built small houses on the lava that buried the previous ones, and live off the grid, on rainwater and solar energy](http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/August-2012/The-Lava-Dwellers-Big-Island-Hawaii/). ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/18 "2018-05-07T22:55:13Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > As we speak, Kilauea is destroying neighborhoods with a flood of molten rock. For homeowners seeking to mitigate risk, volcanoes present a hazard that’s rather different from simple fire or flood. In the latter calamities, your home may be utterly destroyed, but the value of your land doesn’t substantially change: the street is still there, along with water/sewage services, and with an insurance payout, you can go about rebuilding the house. > > But when a volcano buries your entire neighborhood in 10-20 feet of solid rock, the situation changes a bit. The streets are utterly gone, along with whatever municipal services they may have brought to your doorstep. The topography of your land has changed dramatically, and now it’s not easily excavated for a foundation and doesn’t have any topsoil to sustain any sort of ecosystem. In short, the value of your land has plummeted to a fraction of what you paid for it. > > Do insurance companies offer any kind of coverage for such things? Do people in Hawaii commonly buy such insurance? I own a home in Hawaii (many miles north of Kilauea). There is no “lava” insurance, but many people have standard home (fire) insurance. So if the lava comes near your house and starts a fire that eventually burns your home, then you can make an insurance claim to your insurer. This claim will be valid even if the lava covers your house after the fire. In other words, you better have the whole event on video or your insurer is going to dispute your claim. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/19 "2018-05-07T23:34:42Z")
> [@Ignotus](#): > > [Well…](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin#Formation) “The eruption began on February 20, 1943, at about 4:00 PM local time. …within 24 hours, there was a scorian cone fifty meters high…” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747/20 "2018-05-08T00:23:02Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > You may be thinking of Kalapana, which was buried in Kilauea lava flows from 1990 - 91. > > [Some folks have built small houses on the lava that buried the previous ones, and live off the grid, on rainwater and solar energy](http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/August-2012/The-Lava-Dwellers-Big-Island-Hawaii/). Actually, I was thinking of Royal Gardens but I think I read recently the last house there burned a couple years ago and maybe no one has gone back there as of yet. Certainly, there are some folks willing to live on the lava field - but I doubt anyone in that link has any sort of home owner’s insurance given how, shall we say, unfettered by housing codes and such that little neighborhood is at present. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-can-hawaiians-buy-volcano-insurance/813747.md?page=2)