FEMA begins reviewing Sandy flood insurance claims

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By MICHAEL CATALINI

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it has begun reviewing flood insurance claims of Superstorm Sandy victims, some of whom have said their damages were underestimated.

FEMA said in a statement the agency is mailing letters to about 142,000 National Flood Insurance Protection policyholders.

The development comes after FEMA announced plans to set up a review process in March and as some homeowners allege insurance companies unfairly assessed damage after the October 2012 storm that killed 71 people in New Jersey and 68 in New York. Insurers have denied any wrongdoing.

"Flood insurance issues arising from Hurricane Sandy are of great concern to FEMA," said Deputy Associate Administrator for Federal Insurance Brad Kieserman. "We are committed to administering a program that is survivor-centric and helps policyholders recover from flooding in a fair, transparent, and expeditious way."

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/174e92899e7e46078a9272fab6ae4e1b/fema-begins-reviewing-sandy-flood-insurance-claims

[turbinetree]

1. Chris Christie

Guess what, just maybe the money you have been sitting on for over three years and doing nothing with it-----------its going to come back too haunt you--------with possible a jump suit orange being added to your wardrobe.

You think the bridge gate affair was not important----------this is.
We the public that footed this bill want to know what you did with the money?
Since you and your administration haven't really had an audit performed on this -----------it's about time.

[rocktivity]

3. What you do you mean, he's been doing nothing with the money for three years?

He's been accruing interest on it -- interest that no one will miss if he skims it off the top.

No wonder he's flip-flopped on Common Core...


rocktivity

[truedelphi]

2. Two problems - for one thing, the Big Insurers can make

you wait for them to decide when to repair the damage.

But waiting to repair storm damage is something many people cannot afford to do. If you wait, you're risking that black mold will set in. You' re risking that a minor roof leak will become a major roof leak. And on and on.

Yet that is exactly what was required of home owners - that they could get paid for repairs only if they waited for the Big Insurers to come through for them. And the Big Insurers dragged their collective feet.

And by the time FEMA is done with any investigating it is doing, I imagine that he statute of limitations will be up and the Big Insurers will be off scot-free in terms of having to help the home owners they spurned.

BTW, FEMA is more or less a bought out organization, and this should be an investigation done by Congress or someone independent.

[Archae]

4. There was a "60 Minutes" segment on this...

How engineers' reports were altered by the corrupt insurance companies.

(One of the few nowadays good segments on "60 Minutes.&quot

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fema-evidence-of-fraud-in-hurricane-sandy-reports/