Meeting with FEMA today...

[Robinrs]

...anyone had any experience? This is my first experience with any kind of natural disaster so I'd like to hear your experiences.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Can't help, just wanted to wish you good luck, hope they are quick to respond.

 

[dogodisney]

Hope all goes well for you.

 

[tinatark]

I know you're in the Atlanta area - are they visiting flood damaged properties? I heard on the news most of the people there didn't have flood insurance. I am sure they have a "set" amount we will pay out per home, based on the level of damage. That said, my friend had a negative experience with FEMA a few years ago - they said her damage (I think it was tornado, but it may have been hurricane) was not "covered" - apparently when they visit a disaster area, the coverage is for a very specific damage, if that makes sense.

 

[Robinrs]

It actually went pretty good. Short and sweet, and the CUTEST FEMA agent with an English accent. More info later...

 

[kangareaux]

I know you're in the Atlanta area - are they visiting flood damaged properties? I heard on the news most of the people there didn't have flood insurance. I am sure they have a "set" amount we will pay out per home, based on the level of damage. That said, my friend had a negative experience with FEMA a few years ago - they said her damage (I think it was tornado, but it may have been hurricane) was not "covered" - apparently when they visit a disaster area, the coverage is for a very specific damage, if that makes sense.

My parents didn't have good luck either. Apparently because they went ahead and reroofed instead of waiting with a tarp over it all after Katrina the adjuster decided they didn't have much damage. HELLO....BRAND NEW TIN ROOF looks WAY different than old tin. (And there were receipts) And the waterspots on their ceiling from losing most of the metal before was just unreal. But nope...minimal damage. Were given less than $200. Their ceiling plaster is now falling down in chunks.

The people across the road had *A LEAK* and claimed they had mold and asthma and got a fema trailer, living expenses, and a crap-load of money to *refurbish* (I say that, because it's what they did....not REPAIR, but make it WAY better than it was before the storm) their house.

I guess if I ever need help after a storm that I know now to claim mold and asthma. Although, we are required to have insurance since we have a mortgage and were told by a fema rep after Gustav that we didn't qualify for anything because of that. My house was shifted nearly off it's blocks and had to be jacked up and put back on. It was NOT all covered by insurance. Add to the fact that it took 2 months to get the insurance cleared and someone to be available to do it. (We were out of our home for 2 months!) WE didn't qualify for a fema trailer though. Thanks God for family!!!

We won't EVEN go into what family members heard working for the company that contracted the jobs out for FEMA. Ugh....sickening....

FEMA is not on my good list at the moment...LOL!

Good luck OP. Hopefully you got a good adjuster.

 

[golfgal]

My parents didn't have good luck either. Apparently because they went ahead and reroofed instead of waiting with a tarp over it all after Katrina the adjuster decided they didn't have much damage. HELLO....BRAND NEW TIN ROOF looks WAY different than old tin. (And there were receipts) And the waterspots on their ceiling from losing most of the metal before was just unreal. But nope...minimal damage. Were given less than $200. Their ceiling plaster is now falling down in chunks.

The people across the road had *A LEAK* and claimed they had mold and asthma and got a fema trailer, living expenses, and a crap-load of money to *refurbish* (I say that, because it's what they did....not REPAIR, but make it WAY better than it was before the storm) their house.

I guess if I ever need help after a storm that I know now to claim mold and asthma. Although, we are required to have insurance since we have a mortgage and were told by a fema rep after Gustav that we didn't qualify for anything because of that. My house was shifted nearly off it's blocks and had to be jacked up and put back on. It was NOT all covered by insurance. Add to the fact that it took 2 months to get the insurance cleared and someone to be available to do it. (We were out of our home for 2 months!) WE didn't qualify for a fema trailer though. Thanks God for family!!!

We won't EVEN go into what family members heard working for the company that contracted the jobs out for FEMA. Ugh....sickening....

FEMA is not on my good list at the moment...LOL!

Good luck OP. Hopefully you got a good adjuster.

This isn't a FEMA problem, you are placing the blame in the wrong area-your parents should not have repaired the roof before it was inspected. That goes for ANY insurance type claim. NO insurance company is going to cover repairs if they can't see what the damage was to begin with. Not that your parents did this but what's to say they didn't make up the damage and printed the receipts off on their computer?

As for your insurance-what didn't they cover? Your insurance should also have a loss of use clause in the policy that if you are out of your home for a covered claim they will pay the difference for you to live elsewhere-they will pay your rent in an apartment, for example. FEMA is there to help above and beyond what insurance will pay for and to help cover losses NOT covered by insurance. There are limits to what you can get through FEMA too.

 

[kangareaux]

This isn't a FEMA problem, you are placing the blame in the wrong area-your parents should not have repaired the roof before it was inspected. That goes for ANY insurance type claim. NO insurance company is going to cover repairs if they can't see what the damage was to begin with. Not that your parents did this but what's to say they didn't make up the damage and printed the receipts off on their computer?

As for your insurance-what didn't they cover? Your insurance should also have a loss of use clause in the policy that if you are out of your home for a covered claim they will pay the difference for you to live elsewhere-they will pay your rent in an apartment, for example. FEMA is there to help above and beyond what insurance will pay for and to help cover losses NOT covered by insurance. There are limits to what you can get through FEMA too.

WE had insurance. My parents didn't. It took nearly 2 months to get FEMA to come out for my parents. Cities were swarmed with FEMA help. We were int he country and ignored.

As for our claim, our insurance didn't cover the whole amount because prices skyrocketed beyond what insurance's *allowable payouts* were. FEMA did NOT pay the differance. We were told that they would pay for a chainsaw to clean up a tree in our yard. That could wait honestly. It wasn't blocking or hurting anything. just laying there. But that's the only thing they were worried with. Not that we were essentially homeless for a while and insurance allowables were not enough to cover everything. By the time we could get insurance to agree to pay SOME of the cost for an apartment, there were none. They were all occupied by contractors and others who got their displaced.

I don't EXPECT FEMA to bail me out. BUT...if they are going to pay for someone with a leak over their front door to remodel their house and put them up in a fema trailer...I guess feel a little slighted and angry that I watch people with legitimate claims get squat because they refused to lie. Maybe you are right, that my beef shouldn't be with FEMA but with my neighbors. But I also think that the adjustor that decided their case should have had a brain in his head somewhere and realized that a drip over a door with no visible mold or mildew doesn't warrant a house remodel. And one that sees a brand new roof within 2 months of a hurricane., damage pics of the torn off roof, all the mangled tin we collected from around the property that blew off, water-spotted ceilings throughout the house (Most of their ceiling is some shade of brown now) and receipts within one week of the hurricane should realize it was a legitimate claim. Call me crazy, but it doesn't take a genius to figure these things out.

 

[RitaE]

I think that's the first time I've ever heard anybody express jealousy that somebody else got to live in a FEMA trailer.

 

[golfgal]

WE had insurance. My parents didn't. It took nearly 2 months to get FEMA to come out for my parents. Cities were swarmed with FEMA help. We were int he country and ignored.

As for our claim, our insurance didn't cover the whole amount because prices skyrocketed beyond what insurance's *allowable payouts* were. FEMA did NOT pay the differance. We were told that they would pay for a chainsaw to clean up a tree in our yard. That could wait honestly. It wasn't blocking or hurting anything. just laying there. But that's the only thing they were worried with. Not that we were essentially homeless for a while and insurance allowables were not enough to cover everything. By the time we could get insurance to agree to pay SOME of the cost for an apartment, there were none. They were all occupied by contractors and others who got their displaced.

I don't EXPECT FEMA to bail me out. BUT...if they are going to pay for someone with a leak over their front door to remodel their house and put them up in a fema trailer...I guess feel a little slighted and angry that I watch people with legitimate claims get squat because they refused to lie. Maybe you are right, that my beef shouldn't be with FEMA but with my neighbors. But I also think that the adjustor that decided their case should have had a brain in his head somewhere and realized that a drip over a door with no visible mold or mildew doesn't warrant a house remodel. And one that sees a brand new roof within 2 months of a hurricane., damage pics of the torn off roof, all the mangled tin we collected from around the property that blew off, water-spotted ceilings throughout the house (Most of their ceiling is some shade of brown now) and receipts within one week of the hurricane should realize it was a legitimate claim. Call me crazy, but it doesn't take a genius to figure these things out.

Again, your anger is misplaced. You didn't have your house insured for enough. Did you have the rider that pays the extra in situations like this? Many people see the 120% and reduce how much they insure their houses for so they don't pay too much. Again, what's to say since your neighbors didn't have much damage that your parents didn't vandalize their roof to get a new one? I am not saying they did but insurance companies face this all the time so they have procedures. Your parents didn't follow procedure, plain and simple. As for the neighbor, how do you know they didn't pay for a lot of their remodel out of their own pocket. Did you go up into their rafters and look to see that there wasn't mold damage?

 

[kangareaux]

I think that's the first time I've ever heard anybody express jealousy that somebody else got to live in a FEMA trailer.

LOL! That's not what I meant. I realize that's how it sounds. I suppose it's really outrage that people who outright lied got help in an aweful situation and those who really could have used it were denied it. (And it was VERY obvious to the untrained eye that these guys lied...not to mention they bragged about it.) Trust me, I'd never WANT to live in a fema trailer, but when you don't have anywhere else to go a FEMA trailer can start to look prettty good. (Luckily, we DID have family in the next town over...in a different school district for the kids. While we were *displaced* we had quite a long haul every morning with kids in 2 different schools about 12 miles apart and at least 20 from where we were staying AND me pushing it to make it to my school on time for duty in the mornings.)And as much as I love my inlaws, after 2 months, well, let's just say everyone was ready for our home to be inhabitable again! LOL!

 

[minkydog]

We had the FEMA guy out to the house this morning and he was just as nice as could be. He took pictures of every room, all the damage to the basement and foundation. He even offered to email me several websites that I might be able to use when we get started on repairs. Our insurance investigator also came today. He was very nice, took pictures, etc. But the verdict is negative. We don't have flood insurance and our homeowner's isn't going to cover. My house is not on a floodplain, it's up on a ridge. But the water came down so hard and fast that it ran under the basement walls and saturated the foundation. I never thought we needed flood insurance, but you can bet that when we get done with this we'll be buying it.

the FEMA guy says we should hear something in the next 7-10 days. In the meantime, the insurance guy will be sending out a letter declining coverage. So we're crossing our fingers that we can get some help from FEMA. I guess tomorrow I can start pulling out the wet drywall and getting up the baseboards so I can see whether we have anymore mold. Bleah!

 

[kangareaux]

Again, your anger is misplaced. You didn't have your house insured for enough. Did you have the rider that pays the extra in situations like this? Many people see the 120% and reduce how much they insure their houses for so they don't pay too much. Part of my anger is that people with hard proof in their hands were ignored and they took the words of people who BLATENTLY lied. Now, either that's negligence, ignorance, or fraud. Either way, it bothers me. NO, I was NOT under insured...I didn't reach my maximum by any means. I THINK I said before (Maybe I just thought it, that happens sometimes), that prices skyrocketed so much that the insurance company's *allowable amount* per item damaged actually cost us more to repair. fictional example: Before the storm they might rate labor costs based on wha tthe actually were...$30/hr. AFTER the storm, labor jumps to $60/hr. Insurance still only pays $30/hr. Make sense? Should it work that way? No. Did it (Not quite to that extreme) work that way? You betcha. That has nothing to do with how much insurance I have. I have way more than I need to cover evreything structural on my house and then some. I have replacement costs on everything inside. Had I lost THE WHOLE HOUSE I'd have enough to replace it. But as far as repairs go, we were totally screwed by the situation. Now that we have determined that my issues are not an insurance issue brought on by my stupidity, can we move along? Again, what's to say since your neighbors didn't have much damage that your parents didn't vandalize their roof to get a new one? I am not saying they did but insurance companies face this all the time so they have procedures. Your parents didn't follow procedure, plain and simple I'm sorry, but THERE WAS NO PROCEDURE. My parents were strictly dealing with FEMA....NOT an insurance company. At first, in our area, we had no idea that fema would pay ANYTHING for their roof. We heard nothing about our area getting help for what seemed like ages. (There was red cross helping, but fema wasn't doing much in our area for a while.) As for the neighbor, how do you know they didn't pay for a lot of their remodel out of their own pocket. Did you go up into their rafters and look to see that there wasn't mold damage? Ummmm...because they BRAGGED about it and told people?!?! Yeah, stupid thing for them to do, I know. I never claimed they were rocket scientists.Nobody WANTS to need help. But when you do, and it's there you are SO relieved. Then to be told that nevermind...we're not going to....and you watch people (who lie so badly that elementary school kids knew it ) get people falling over themselves to help them it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Minky....first off, sorry to hijack your thread. Seriously not my plan. I hope your experiance goes well. You seem like a great person and I'm so very sorry you have to go through all this.

Anyone else....I didn't realize this would turn into an armchair quarterback examination of my experiance. I was there. I know what happened. Given what I have witnessed and experianced, I think that i am VERY justified in my feelings. If you don't think so, oh well. It's nobody's place to tell someone else who they should and shouldn't be angry with. Maybe you had a good experiance with FEMA. Good for you! That's great and wonderful. I know it DOES happen sometimes. I didn't. That was my point. I have NEVER brought this up before. I guess i shouldn't have this time. I should have known better than to discuss something here that was a sensitive subject for me. There's always someone around to point out what a poster did wrong and how they could have handled it better. (whether they know what they are talking about or not)

 

[kangareaux]

We had the FEMA guy out to the house this morning and he was just as nice as could be. He took pictures of every room, all the damage to the basement and foundation. He even offered to email me several websites that I might be able to use when we get started on repairs. Our insurance investigator also came today. He was very nice, took pictures, etc. But the verdict is negative. We don't have flood insurance and our homeowner's isn't going to cover. My house is not on a floodplain, it's up on a ridge. But the water came down so hard and fast that it ran under the basement walls and saturated the foundation. I never thought we needed flood insurance, but you can bet that when we get done with this we'll be buying it.

the FEMA guy says we should hear something in the next 7-10 days. In the meantime, the insurance guy will be sending out a letter declining coverage. So we're crossing our fingers that we can get some help from FEMA. I guess tomorrow I can start pulling out the wet drywall and getting up the baseboards so I can see whether we have anymore mold. Bleah!

Glad it went good with FEMA. Keeping my fingers crossed that keeps up that way.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Many, many, many years ago I used to work with FEMA (and then for them...when they were the "good guys" under James Lee Witt). At any rate, there is a specific order in which assistance is provided. Please do not be surprised if you are contacted by the Small Business Administration about a disaster loan. Yes, I know it's weird...your home is not a business...but they are the "designated federal agency" to provide disaster assistance loans to individuals (and businesses too).

Please keep every receipt, every slip of paper, every denial letter from your insurance, etc. It will be helpful in advocating for your needs. Also, please know that you can claim uninsured damages against your taxes so you may want to speak with a tax advisor about that.

Good luck and I'm so sorry this happened to you and many others.

K