Residential landslide insurance in Sitka, Alaska: Market conditions and options for improving availability

In this Perspective, the authors characterize the market for landslide insurance prior to and following the 2015 Alaska landslide and describe four approaches that stakeholders might consider to make landslide coverage more available.

Landslides pose a serious risk to lives and property in Sitka and other parts of Southeast Alaska. Although landslide insurance does not directly reduce the likelihood or the physical consequences of landslides, it can increase the financial resilience of individuals and communities. Following the devastating landslide that struck Sitka, Alaska, in 2015, what little insurance coverage was available for residential properties prior to the slide disappeared.