Schneiderman Insurance Agency, Inc. Blog |
 Recently, my son Aiden and I ventured into Altadena, a foothill community just north of Pasadena and less than 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles, to witness firsthand the devastation left by the Eaton Fire. What we found was heartbreaking — and humbling. Armed with our cameras, we set out not just to capture the destruction, but to preserve the stories written in scorched earth, melted structures, and the haunting quiet that now hangs over once-thriving communities.
1 Comment
 When you walk through a place that’s been changed forever, silence hits differently. In Malibu and the Pacific Palisades, the quiet that followed the recent wildfires wasn’t peaceful—it was heavy. I went there to photograph the aftermath, but what I found was more than destruction. It was absence. Stillness. Loss.
The goal was simple: preserve what the fire tried to erase.  The 1994 Northridge Earthquake stands as one of the most significant seismic events in California's history—not just for the devastation it caused, but for how it fundamentally reshaped the earthquake insurance market. The quake revealed critical gaps in coverage, prompting insurers to withdraw from the market and leaving homeowners, landlords, renters, and business owners struggling to find affordable options.
In this article, we explore how the Northridge Earthquake led to the creation of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), how coverage options have changed, and why earthquake insurance is more vital than ever.  Since the recent discovery of a methane gas leak in Porter Ranch, California at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility has received a lot of attention in the news over the last few months little has been discussed of how insurance companies are looking at the situation. Thousands of families have either fled the Porter Ranch community or been relocated due to health concerns as a result of the gas leak. Their relocation has left homes vacant until the leak has been properly fixed. Schools, such as Castlebay Lane Elementary and the newly built Porter Ranch Community School, have been closed indefinitely and relocated to nearby facilities as well.
 I can’t tell you how much I enjoy being a part of the local community here is Southern California. A few weeks ago I was able to work a booth at a concert in Woodland Hills for Queen Nation where I was able to meet many local individuals and families.
From time to time, my wife and I talk about how we wish we could freeze time and enjoy our family as it is forever. Townsley Portraits has made that possible.
Stuart Townsley was actually our wedding photographer and has been a friend ever since. When he started his own photo studio, we decided to ask Stuart if we could set-up a session for us and our son. We met him at the Santa Monica Pier, in Los Angeles, and spent about 30 minutes just playing around the area and letting Stuart snap away. A few weeks later, we met again at the Townsley Portraits photo studio and showroom and saw the amazing photographs he had taken. They were breathtaking, and we wanted every one of them.  Were you awoken by the 4.4 magnitude earthquake today with an epicenter in Westwood? It’s been a long time since we had an earthquake of that size in the Los Angeles metro area.
After making sure my family was alright, it occurred to me that I should bring up the concern of earthquake insurance to my clients. |
Contact Us(818) 322-4744 Archives
May 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed