Patty Champ was interviewed for a segment on NPR’s All Things Considered Special Series on Climate Risk Hits Home: Millions Of Homes Are At Risk Of Wildfires, But It’s Rarely Disclosed.
The lack of [disclosure of wildfire risk to new homebuyers] means millions of people potentially make one of the largest investments of their lives without considering wildfires. In one study, researchers surveyed homeowners in Colorado’s Front Range and found the majority vastly underestimated how likely their homes are to burn.
“Surprisingly, a number of people said: ‘Well, I didn’t know I lived in a place with wildfire risk until I got this survey,’ ” says Patty Champ, research economist at the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station, who conducted the survey.