Why wildfire survivors are struggling to get coverage for smoke damage

More than 9 months after January 2025’s devastating Palisades wildfire, survivors whose homes are still standing are struggling to get coverage to clean up smoke damage. NBC News investigated one family’s experience and interviewed environmental studies professor Monalisa Chatterjee about why payouts are so difficult to obtain – and how we can make the insurance industry work better for everyone.

Related: Meet the professor working to improve California’s fire insurance industry >>