Mitigating wildfire risks. There are a number of factors that can increase the severity and resulting damage from a wildfire. (Photo: Shutterstock)

There has been no shortage of disasters over the last year affecting insurers. Between wildfires on the West Coast and hurricanes on the East Coast, carriers and their adjusting staffs have faced an abundance of claims.

In California, some mistakenly believe that the increase in wildfires was due to drought conditions, but this isn't really the case, explained Stu Ryland, senior vice president of the Pacific Region for Sedgwick in an interview with PropertyCasualty360.com. "Rainfall has been good. It's a dry climate here since we don't get rain in the summertime – usually from May to November."

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Patricia L. Harman

Patricia L. Harman is the editor-in-chief of Claims magazine, a contributing editor to PropertyCasualty360.com, and chairs the annual America's Claims Event (ACE), which focuses on providing claims professionals with cutting-edge education and networking opportunities. She covers auto, property & casualty, workers' compensation, fraud, risk and cybersecurity, and is a frequent speaker at insurance industry events. Contact her at [email protected]

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