I am writing to you for the first time. I am hoping my dilemma appears in your newspaper. I have read so many others complaining about what is going on since Hurricane Sandy. Each story is different but we are all at a loss somehow, someway. I am totally frustrated.
My home was severely damaged by Sandy. I am upset because I allowed the town inspector from Berkeley Twp. into my home to assess the damages caused to me. I was told I had more than half of the total value of my home in damages and now needed to either raise or knock down and rebuild to meet the new flood elevations required by the town of Bayville.
The inspector assured me I would qualify for an ICC grant from FEMA. I have qualified but the $30,000.00 grant I thought was coming from FEMA is actually coming from my insurance company, Selective. I was notified by one of their agents I do indeed qualify but I have to first put out this $30,000.00 and wait to be reimbursed from them when I send them cancelled checks for rebuilding. Are they serious? Is this a joke? How do I or anyone have this kind of money when we haven't even received the proper money we insured our homes for.
I have lost so much. I still have a mortgage. I have applied for a SBA loan which I have to pay back. My insurance company, Selective is not paying me a quarter of what I insured my home for. My mortgage company, Bank of America has not and will not offer any solutions or help offset my mortgage payments for the months I am unable to live in my home.
How do I rebuild? How do I or anyone else in my situation able to come up with $30,000.00. I thought I was doing the right thing by letting the town into my home and now I am finding out this wasn't such a good idea.
The town inspector neglected to tell me I would be responsible to pay this money up front. It is not granted money from FEMA in a check which I was left to believe. The town of Bayville still has me paying a quarterly $55.00 for water service and a sewer bill but I am unable to live in my home.
I am at the end of my rope. I am sickened by how I and many others are left to do so much and some of us cannot afford to rebuild on our own.
Where are all those free grants? Where is all the money promised to us? Oh yea, I forgot, Seaside Boardwalk. Very sad this is a priority in Ocean County when so many of us are just making it. We just want to get back to our home.
Not one company whether it be a mortgage, insurance or the town itself is offering us any relief. Just endless paperwork and phone calls with very little results.
Hi Mary, Hope your keeping a chin up, We are in Manahawkin,like you we are replanted from union county to a better life in ocean county, fortunately we lost only material things, Cars and stuff in our garage, We hear nothing but horror stories about the speed the insurance companies are moving to make people whole again. something to think about before signing a contract with a PA, they get an average of 10% of the settlement for flood insurance and almost 25% for homeowners insurance claims, they paint a good picture and can be a help but at a cost, we are so confused with all the FEMA BS and it is BS, they are dictating what we all do, how can a person be forced to pay upwards of $30000.00 for flood insurance if we fail to comply with the new flood elevation standards, most people cant afford everyday essentials let alone $30000.00 for elevating their homes and the increase in flood costs,by the way the $30000.00 is aprox half the cost of raising a home,You are 100% correct, yes NJ does need the tourism but our friends and neighbors are not even in their homes and the state is focusing on boardwalks and getting vacationers, whats wrong with that picture ? the visitors are not in any way shape or form going to pay for the damage to our homes. When we built our home we requested the builder go up as high as possible which saved us in the long run, but the fact of the matter remains, our friends and neighbors are leaving, its like a ghost town here, out of maybe 40 homes on our block 6 are occupied with little or no damage, at night we have one of the only lights burning, very depressing and lonely at best, I'm sure someone will yap at me for speaking the truth and say move out if your that unhappy, again you are 100% right we still have mortgages and bills to pay with little or no help along the way, oh yeah the help we are getting is nothing more than an excuse of why the insurance wont pay yet and the biggest burden is the banks that hold the mortgages, send them the insurance check and and hopefully you will see your money in a few months and not in a lump sum, they give you a draw account so they control your destiny, this is a mess and is not going away anytime soon, all the celebrities that raised money for Sandy victims, where is that money? NJ is in serious trouble with no end in sight, people are leaving!!
Those FREE GRANTS if you get it.. Your mortgage company can call their loan in if you do recieve money. All legal. New Building rules will be in effect taking years to legislate them. If you do fix them before them you could end up paying higher insurance charges than the ones the will be changing yearly anyway. Look at those in Louisiana. They are still rebuilding after that storm it what over 7 years and many still don't have homes. Many decided to leave and start over maybe a better choice. If you kept up with the stories from other storms in this nation you would have been prepared not complaining. Do you have ten years or mors to waste in your life?
Mary, one step at a time….This is going to be a process..one that you need to have help for by experienced adjusters. I am in the same situation. I hired a public adjuster to help me navigate the insurance company. Do yourself a favor and get expert help. The SBA loan is there to help you with money not yet in hand. Use it. They are very informative and will help you navigate thru this. SBA is not requiring any payments until after 12/13, so utilize it until after your house is elevated and you can collect from Selective. Hire a licensed contractor or go to a local modular company.. If you get the right information from the right people and keep yourself informed, you will survive this and be better off down the road. Take your time and do it right.
This country would be a much better place if they got rid of ALL insurance companies. Their job is to take your money when you don't need them, and hide when you do.
I'm in the same situation. Why aren't we sending the governor this information?
My sister and her family of 5, are going through the same thing. This Selective Insurance Company has done ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING for them. She very recently found out a possible settlement which is not finalized(and they no idea when it will be). She has requested something in writing from them to give to her union for possible montary help and they have IGNORED these requests. It is a DOWNRIGHT SHAME, these consumers of Selective Insurance who have paid their premiums are being screwed over. The company keeps telling my sister they are waiting for the $$ from Washington in order to settle claims. I would like to know where all these premium are that have been paid if they are awaiting $$ from the government?? DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME! Do they not understend people need a roof over their heads, stability for their families and a little peace of mind? I'm quite sure this company's employees have that. If there is someone out there that is reading this and would know of any possible ideas these Sandy victims could try. I'm sure they would appreciate it. I keep hearing Restore the Shore, well these families would love to if they could!!!
I could have written the same exact letter, Mary. So many of us are dealing with this exact same experience with insurance, grants, etc. Already there is a mass exodus in our neighborhood, selling their homes "as is". We are just one family of many doing the same. The boardwalk is important to bring back tourism; but it seems that those of us who live and work here are on our own, with no options but to walk away. The hope of rebuilding our lives as they were is over, never to return. So much for 'rebuilding' the Shore.