Now the Lawsuits Begin!

We have still not heard word one from the adjuster for the flood insurance.  We are paying for our repairs, supplies and contractors from our savings.  The National Flood Insurance Program tells me it is my responsibility to make sure their contracted adjuster does his job and completes the forms and turns it in to them.  Really?  MY job?

The few people who have begun to get their estimates are not happy.  The values are well below the values being turned in by the homeowner and reflected by actual costs to repair or replace.  Several have started talking to lawyers, several are arguing directly with the insurance company themselves.

We call the adjuster, his company (which is his wife), and our agent at State Farm but the only response we get is "7 to 10 days".  The Flood Date was August 14, 2016.  It is now October 30, 2016.

I am hearing more stories from my neighbors and friends.  Past history from Katrina and the BP Oil Spill is predicting the present situation.

My friend from Grand Isle, LA talked about her experience during Katrina.  Grand Isle (click to learn about the barrier island and the start of Louisiana Highway 1) is one of the small bits of land at the tip of the boot of Louisiana below New Orleans.  Great fishing, lots of summer homes and a thriving small community of fishermen, oilmen and river pilots.

AJ's home was gorgeous.  She said it was worth about $500,000 before Katrina.  The insurance company paid her $200,000.  Then came the BP Oil Spill.  They gave her $2000 and what is known as the BP Cough.  An unspecified ailment that has no cause and no cure but everyone in the area was sprayed with Corexit after the spill and has it.  You have to go here to see what that is.  Keep in mind, a lot of your fish and shellfish come from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico!

Want to hear about your government at work during the Great Flood of 2016?

If I were Queen, I would make a totally different deal for the people.  I would give the people who paid for Flood Insurance adequate monies to fix their houses and let them have at it.  Then I would do low cost loans to help the people who had no flood insurance but who were current on their mortgages and were working and paying their taxes on time.

I would give low (but not as low as Group #2) cost loans to those who were on welfare and not working who owned their homes, but I would require them to find work in groups that worked within their own neighborhoods to rebuild the houses.  Yes, work.  Once they quit work, the loan would be recalled.  The work would be required to keep the money low cost and available.  After they rebuilt their neighborhoods they would then have skills to earn a living and would no longer be on welfare. 

The ones who did not want to work and had no flood insurance could find their own way to pay for their housing repairs.  Or sell their houses to someone who wanted to work to fix them.

Right now the system is to spend $60,000 to $90,000 on a FEMA trailer and the set up and give them $35,000 to repair their houses, plus SNAP (food stamps), welfare and free health insurance.

While we working tax payers who did the right thing and paid for flood insurance have to argue and get lawyers to get a fair settlement from the insurance company.

How is that fair?

If I were Queen, it would be way more fair.