Earthquakes, wildfires and renters insurance in LA

LA's two big risks don't give much notice, so the time to sort your cover and your go-bag is the week you move in.

The short version

A standard California renters policy generally does not cover earthquake damage, but by law it must cover fire caused by or following an earthquake [1].
You can add a California Earthquake Authority renters policy for your belongings and temporary living costs, bought through the insurer that sells your renters policy [1][2].
Turn on earthquake warnings: the free MyShake app, Android's built-in alerts or Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone [3].
Look up your evacuation zone on Genasys Protect and sign up for Alert LA County [4][5].
Smartraveller no longer takes registrations. Subscribe to its US updates and watch for a crisis portal if something big happens [7].

What's different from home

In Australia, you probably grew up with bushfire season, Fires Near Me and the idea that "leave early" saves lives. All of that carries over to LA. The January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires showed how fast wind-driven fire can move through suburbs, not just bush.

Earthquakes are the newer one for most Aussies. Southern California sits on an active fault system, and a large quake could hit at any time of year, with no season to prepare for.

The insurance is different too. Many Australian home and contents policies include earthquake as a standard event. In California, earthquake cover for your stuff is a separate policy you have to ask for.

What renters insurance actually covers

Renters insurance (contents insurance, in Aussie terms) is cheap compared with what you'd pay at home, and many LA landlords require it in the lease. A typical policy has three main parts:

Personal property. Your belongings, from the laptop to the surfboard, against named perils such as fire, smoke, theft and some water damage.
Liability. If someone is hurt in your flat, or you accidentally flood the unit below, this covers claims against you.
Additional living expenses (loss of use). Hotel and extra costs if your home becomes unliveable after a covered event, such as a fire.

Wildfire is usually a covered peril, which matters in LA. Earthquake is the big gap. The California Department of Insurance says renters policies don't cover damage from earthquakes, floods and landslides, though some policies cover direct loss from an earthquake-caused explosion, theft or broken glass [1]. Fire that follows a quake must be covered whether or not you have earthquake insurance [1].

Event	Standard renters policy	CEA earthquake renters policy
Wildfire burns your building	Usually covered	Not needed for this
Earthquake shakes your belongings off the shelves	Generally not covered [1]	Covered, after the deductible [2]
Fire breaks out after an earthquake	Must be covered by law [1]	Not needed for this
You can't live in the flat after a quake	Generally not covered	Loss of use cover, no deductible [2]
Flood or mudslide	Generally not covered [1]	Not covered by quake policy

Adding earthquake cover

The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) is a publicly managed, not-for-profit insurer, and its policies are sold through participating home and renters insurers. You must buy CEA cover from the same company that issues your renters policy [1].

The CEA renters policy lets you choose [2]:

Personal property limits of US$5,000 or US$25,000, including US$500 for some breakables
Deductibles of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% or 25% of that limit
Loss of use cover from US$1,500 up to US$100,000, with no deductible.

The CEA has a premium calculator on its website for an estimate [2]. We haven't quoted prices because they depend on your building's age, construction and location.

A note on the deductible: on a US$25,000 limit with a 15% deductible, you'd pay the first US$3,750 of damage to your belongings. For many renters, the loss of use cover is the most valuable part, because finding and paying for somewhere to stay after a big quake is the real cost.

Earthquakes: warnings and what to do

California runs a public earthquake early warning system, ShakeAlert. It can give you a few seconds' notice before shaking reaches you. There are three ways to receive it [3]:

MyShake app. Free on iPhone and Android, with alerts for quakes of magnitude 4.5 or more where weak shaking is expected.
Android Earthquake Alerts. Built into updated Android phones automatically.
Wireless Emergency Alerts. Text-style alerts for magnitude 5.0 or more with light shaking expected, on by default on most phones.

When the alert sounds, or the ground starts moving, Drop, Cover and Hold On [3]. Get under a sturdy table or against an inside wall, away from windows. Don't run outside.

Prepare your flat

Strap tall bookcases and the TV to the wall, and put heavy things on low shelves.
Know where the gas shut-off is and who in the building handles it.
Keep shoes and a torch by the bed. Broken glass is the most common injury after a night-time quake.
Many older LA apartment buildings, especially ones with parking under the building, have been through the city's seismic retrofit programme. Ask your landlord whether yours has.

Wildfires, evacuation zones and smoke days

LA County uses numbered evacuation zones. Look up yours at protect.genasys.com or in the Genasys Protect app, which shows live evacuation orders and road closures and lets you track several addresses, such as home, work and the kids' school [4].

Know the two terms, because they're what you'll hear on the news and in alerts [5]:

Evacuation warning: a fire may soon threaten the area. Get ready to go, and leave now if you need extra time.
Evacuation order: a lawful order to leave and stay out. Go.

Sign up for Alert LA County notifications, and call 211 LA County any time for preparedness information [5]. If you live in the City of LA, also sign up for the city's own alerts. Red Flag days, when hot, dry Santa Ana winds blow, are when most big fires start. Hillside areas, canyons and suburbs next to brush, from the Palisades to Altadena, face the highest risk, so check the fire risk before you sign a lease.

Air quality days

Even if the fire is miles away, smoke can blanket the basin. South Coast AQMD recommends [6]:

signing up for alerts at AirAlerts.org or using its app
using a MERV 13 or higher filter in your air conditioner, or running a portable HEPA purifier
keeping a few N95 or P100 masks at home
if you have asthma or heart or lung disease, having a plan with your doctor and at least five days of medication on hand.

Your go-bag and grab-list

Ready LA County suggests packing medication, water, food and anything else your household needs, and keeping important documents together in an easy-to-grab spot [5]. For Australians, add a few things to that list:

Passports, both Australian and any others, plus your visa documents (E-3 approval, I-94 printout).
Insurance details, including policy numbers for renters, health and car.
Phone chargers and a power bank.
Prescriptions and a letter from your doctor, especially if your medicine is hard to replace in the US.
Cash in small notes, because card readers stop working when the power goes.
Pet supplies, including vaccination records if your dog or cat came from Australia.
A list of numbers on paper: your landlord, employer, a contact in Australia and the consulate.

Then take a video of every room on your phone. It's the easiest way to prove what you owned if you ever need to claim.

Keeping Australia in the loop

Smartraveller stopped trip registrations in 2019. Subscribe to its updates for the United States instead. In a major crisis, DFAT may open a crisis registration portal and share the link online, where you or family at home can lodge your location and contact details [7].

Smartraveller notes that consular help may be limited during a natural disaster, and suggests registering with the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System for alerts [8]. The Australian Consulate-General in Los Angeles is at 2029 Century Park East and on +1 310 229 2300 [8]. Tell your family in Australia which app or group you'll post on if the phones go down.

After the 2025 fires, Aussies in LA leaned on each other for spare rooms, lifts and news. Join Cooee USA, our Facebook group for Australians in the USA, before you need it.

Earthquakes and wildfires in LA: renters insurance and being ready