Wildfire risk by community

WHP (Wildfire Hazard Potential)

USDA Forest Service 5-step landscape-level wildfire-hazard score — Class 1 (very low) through Class 5 (very high).

Defensible space

Maintained zone (typically 100 feet) around a structure where fuels are reduced to slow wildfire spread.

WUI (Wildland-Urban Interface)

The geographic zone where homes meet undeveloped wildland vegetation — highest wildfire-property-loss risk.

FRAP (CAL FIRE Fire and Resource Assessment Program)

California's authoritative wildfire-hazard-zone mapping program — feeds Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) classifications.

Flood zones explained — what AE, X, and VE actually mean

Plain-English guide to FEMA flood-zone codes (A, AE, AH, V, VE, X, X-shaded). What the 1% and 0.2% annual-chance zones mean for your property and your insurance.

EPA AQI categories explained — what 0–50 Good through 301–500 Hazardous mean

Plain-English guide to the six EPA Air Quality Index categories: 0–50 Good, 51–100 Moderate, 101–150 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 151–200 Unhealthy, 201–300 Very Unhealthy, 301–500 Hazardous — what each level means and who is at risk.

AQI explained — what 50, 100, 150 actually mean for your lungs

Plain-English guide to the EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) and the 6 categories from Good to Hazardous. When to take precautions and which pollutants matter.

Wildfire Hazard Potential — what the USFS scale means and how to defend your home

Plain-English guide to the USDA Forest Service's Wildfire Hazard Potential 1–5 scale, how to read your community's risk, and concrete home-defense measures.

AirNow + wildfire smoke — when AQI is a real-time tool

How EPA AirNow handles real-time wildfire smoke, what the colors mean during fire season, and where AirNow leaves gaps you should know about.

Wildfire insurance in 2026 — why premiums spiked and what to do

California, Oregon, Colorado, and other Western states have seen wildfire insurance premiums double or homeowners drop entirely. Plain-English guide to the 2026 market.

FEMA flood zones — AE vs. X vs. VE in plain English

FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer maps every US property's flood-zone designation. Here's what AE, X, VE, and AO actually mean for your insurance bill.

Buying a house — the 12-dimension data checklist before you sign

Twelve federated public-records dimensions every US homebuyer should check before closing. Synthesized from EPA, FEMA, FBI, NCES, county assessors + recorders.

EPA AirNow — when to watch for particulates vs. ozone

AirNow's composite AQI hides which pollutant is dominant. PM2.5 and ozone behave differently — knowing which one is driving today's reading changes your response.

USGS earthquake hazard maps — when separate earthquake insurance is worth it

USGS publishes a public earthquake-hazard map for every US county. Standard homeowners doesn't cover earthquake damage. Here's how to read the map + when to add coverage.

Defensible space zones 0/1/2 — California's 100-foot rule + what works in practice

Defensible-space rules around your home (Zone 0: 0-5ft ember-resistant, Zone 1: 5-30ft lean+green, Zone 2: 30-100ft reduced fuel). Required in CA + Western states.

Tornado risk by region — wind zones, safe rooms, and roof rating

How FEMA wind-zone maps work, where Tornado Alley actually sits in 2026, ICC-500 safe-room standards, and which roof rating cuts insurance the most.

Extreme heat days + cooling equity — climate risk by ZIP

How NOAA + EPA track extreme heat, why cooling-system access varies dramatically by ZIP + income, and what 'cooling equity' means for property + insurance decisions.

Homeowners insurance by peril — what's covered, excluded, and surprise gaps in 2026

Standard HO-3 policies cover fire, theft, and most weather — but exclude flood, earthquake, sinkhole, and back-of-policy surprises. Plain-English guide to peril-by-peril coverage.

Hurricane + wind-rated construction — what 'fortified' actually means and which features cut insurance 20-50%

FORTIFIED Home + Miami-Dade approval + impact-rated windows reduce hurricane risk + insurance premiums 20-50% in coastal states. Plain-English buyer guide with cost-benefit.