Hurricane Sandy: 21 days later

[MartinP]

The damage looks to be absolutely heartbreaking for the people living there. I'm curious why all the houses are built of wood and just standing loose on a foundation surface? Is that actually allowed within whatever building regulations exist in the area, or maybe they are very old properties that were never upgraded?

 

[Steve Bellayr]

I heard two interesting things today that refer to this thread. The first is that the ocean off the east coast of the USA is 5 degrees warmer, which means far more moisture will be in the air for hurricanes. The expectation of hurricanes like Sandy is probable. The second is that US Sen. Marco Rubio, a future contender for the US presidency, has no idea how old the earth is as it is a theological debate.

 

[sepiareverb]

The press & media would lead one to believe that FEMA simply comes in and makes everyone whole. Simply not the case.

No, not at all. We had FEMA here after a huge storm a few months before Irene hit Vermont. Sinkhole in the neighbors yard, LOTS of mud in the basement. After several very hopeful conversations with FEMA nothing ever came of it. Not enough damage, we had insurance, etc. etc. And insurance never paid a penny.

I agree that by logic the premiums are high, but you did PAY them, and now you deserve what reimbursement is available.

Homeowners insurance has never worked out this way in my experience. They always have an out. We've recently switched from a big national insurer to a Vermont company for our cars and house. Saving some money, and actually have people who know us answer when we call up on the phone. Hoping that the face to face will make the process more amenable to discussion should a claim arrive. After 25 years with the big outfit and nothing but two small auto claims we ended up having two protracted battles with them over the last two years, one auto (I hit a moose on the highway at night) and the homeowners "claim" above. Neither ended satisfactorily.

 

[robklurfield]

Our damages are far less than $250,000. Probably more on the order of $20-30,000. But, I'm worried for other folks.

Rob, I agree that by logic the premiums are high, but you did PAY them, and now you deserve what reimbursement is available. Hopefully the 250K (if you are truly allowed that) will be adequate for your damages.

In point of fact, 250K doesn't go far toward a new shore home, so your neighbors with horrific damage are really stuck. Can they take the 250K, walk away, and invest in another residence, or do they have to apply the money where they are?

Randy

 

[robklurfield]

Building regulations? Ha! Actually, we have them now and they are getting stricter. The houses that suffered the worst damage, apart from being located nearest to the danger, were also older and never upgraded, many grandfathered in prior to serious building codes and inspections. All that said, I'm sure people in more forward-thinking countries where they are used to this kind of thing AND learn from their mistakes, find themselves aghast at the laxness of our regulations and our willingness as Americans to rebuild in the same stupid places.

Again, everyone: my house is not one of the ones shown destroyed in these pictures. Our place is four house back from the shore. We were lucky.

The damage looks to be absolutely heartbreaking for the people living there. I'm curious why all the houses are built of wood and just standing loose on a foundation surface? Is that actually allowed within whatever building regulations exist in the area, or maybe they are very old properties that were never upgraded?

 

[robklurfield]

Senator Rubio. He's probably wondering how it is that no dinosaurs washed up during the storm.

I do suspect that the storms will grow more intense, frequent and last longer. With higher, warmer water, the trouble will mount. I used to joke with my wife that buying where we did, if we waited long enough we'd eventually have a beach-front view. I no longer find the joking funny.

I heard two interesting things today that refer to this thread. The first is that the ocean off the east coast of the USA is 5 degrees warmer, which means far more moisture will be in the air for hurricanes. The expectation of hurricanes like Sandy is probable. The second is that US Sen. Marco Rubio, a future contender for the US presidency, has no idea how old the earth is as it is a theological debate.

 

[robklurfield]

I know plenty of people who have struck deer. You, my friend, are the only person I know to struck and survived an encounter with a moose.

As to FEMA, I am told that they probably will pay a claim on our systems (furnace, hot water, electric panel, etc.) ONLY BECAUSE we had flood insurance (at $3,000 per annum). Our homeowner policy carrier who covers us against wind damage will certainly attempt to delay, nickle and dime us until we give up. We won't give up. With federal flood insurance, anything damaged by water would NOT be covered by any insurance. I am told that FEMA might cover some of our clean costs (getting the sandy mud out of the basement).

I don't expect this to be an easy or swift process and I don't expect to be made whole by the claims. However, others have told me that we have the kind of damage on which federal flood insurance is most likely to pay something.

One worry we have is property taxes. Two years ago, our taxes more than doubled. We are not sure what the township is likely to do. The house, even in good condition, is worth far less than most recent property tax assessment re-appraisal. One has to figure that the local government will be looking for any sources of revenue they can get their hands on. Meanwhile, we've been covering the taxes for the past several years -- especially since the increase -- by renting the house for most or all of the summer. That would appear to not be in the cards for this coming summer. We have been told it's possible that parts of the island won't have gas, water or electric service until some time in the spring. Will anyone want to rent that soon? I have no clue.

No, not at all. We had FEMA here after a huge storm a few months before Irene hit Vermont. Sinkhole in the neighbors yard, LOTS of mud in the basement. After several very hopeful conversations with FEMA nothing ever came of it. Not enough damage, we had insurance, etc. etc. And insurance never paid a penny.



Homeowners insurance has never worked out this way in my experience. They always have an out. We've recently switched from a big national insurer to a Vermont company for our cars and house. Saving some money, and actually have people who know us answer when we call up on the phone. Hoping that the face to face will make the process more amenable to discussion should a claim arrive. After 25 years with the big outfit and nothing but two small auto claims we ended up having two protracted battles with them over the last two years, one auto (I hit a moose on the highway at night) and the homeowners "claim" above. Neither ended satisfactorily.