Federal help still not here!

[MGC]

I blame the insurance companies for the standstill. My Mother's house in New Orleans East was flooded and the one year old roof severly damaged. To date she has gotten about 20K to fix her house. She has both wind and flood insurance. Both insurances sent her partial payments. She figures she is due another 100K from the insurance before she can restore the house to its pre Katrina condition. She continues to call her insurances companies yet they say to call back. She is considering legal action. I'm pretty sure this situation can be repeated thousands of times across the area impacted by Katrina. The insurance companies are holding back delaying paying. We need a huge class action suit with a few billion in punitive damages for the way the insurance companies have treated their policy holders so this won't happen again.....MGC

[wxman57]

I think that insurance companies are finding that they cannot cover the huge losses when a major hurricane hits. I wouldn't be surprised if they double or triple rates in hurricane-prone areas (or cancel coverage completely) I know it's nice to live near the coast, but it's also very dangerous. There's no way insurance companies will stay in business through the next 20-30 years of increased major hurricane landfalls if they continue to insure coastal counties/parishes.

[ROCK]

I think that insurance companies are finding that they cannot cover the huge losses when a major hurricane hits. I wouldn't be surprised if they double or triple rates in hurricane-prone areas (or cancel coverage completely) I know it's nice to live near the coast, but it's also very dangerous. There's no way insurance companies will stay in business through the next 20-30 years of increased major hurricane landfalls if they continue to insure coastal counties/parishes.

I agree. You are assuming a huge risk if you live on the coast in a surge zone. Hopefully insurance companies will only triple the rates for those homes and not someone 45 miles inland....

[Lindaloo]

Well if we knew we lived in a surge zone then we would have purchased flood insurance. We were told we did not need it, although I did buy it, thank goodness.

We all know the risks involved living on the coast.

[ROCK]

Well if we knew we lived in a surge zone then we would have purchased flood insurance. We were told we did not need it, although I did buy it, thank goodness.

We all know the risks involved living on the coast.

I live in a cat 5 surge zone and I am 45 miles inland. Mostly do to the upper portion of Clear Creek that runs through my neighborhood. I bought flood insurance last week just for piece of mind even though I am considered not to be in a flood prone area. Your state doesnt have SLOSH studies to determine surge zones? TX, just last year put evac zones into place for all categories. Of course during Rita, EVERYONE evac....

[Lindaloo]

We had the SLOSH and it failed us. I also bought flood for piece of mind. Now I am required to have it.

[vbhoutex]

We had the SLOSH and it failed us. I also bought flood for piece of mind. Now I am required to have it.

I am not anywhere near a flood zone, but I did buy FI several uyears ago. I have used it once since then and it has more than paid for itself. I don't know hwat the costs are elsewhere, but mine is around $325/yr. if I remember correctly and that covers a 2500 square foot house. Unless I knew there was no chance of me flooding, I would have it whereever I lived.

[ROCK]

We had the SLOSH and it failed us. I also bought flood for piece of mind. Now I am required to have it.

I am not anywhere near a flood zone, but I did buy FI several uyears ago. I have used it once since then and it has more than paid for itself. I don't know hwat the costs are elsewhere, but mine is around $325/yr. if I remember correctly and that covers a 2500 square foot house. Unless I knew there was no chance of me flooding, I would have it whereever I lived.

mine was $300yr. I don't think I will ever use it given this neighborhood did not flood during Allison......knocking on wood right now...

[Pearl River]

ROCK wrote

mine was $300yr. I don't think I will ever use it given this neighborhood did not flood during Allison......knocking on wood right now...

Keep knocking . I lived in a neighborhood in Slidell that never flooded from any of the storms we have had and complained about having to pay flood insurance. I'm glad I moved a couple years ago...5ft of water.

[vbhoutex]

Rock, this is not directed at you personally. I never thought I would use mine either, but I bought it to be safe after I heard one of the officials at Harris County Flood Control District state "If you live in Houston and don't have flood insurance, you are stupid." I am glad I did. We had 16" of rain during Allison at our house, 11'' of that was the infamous Friday night. I don't know what you had in your area, but you were lucky. We only got a small amount of water into our home, but the bill was over $3K. That insurance has paid for itself for quite a while already!!

[ROCK]

Rock, this is not directed at you personally. I never thought I would use mine either, but I bought it to be safe after I heard one of the officials at Harris County Flood Control District state "If you live in Houston and don't have flood insurance, you are stupid." I am glad I did. We had 16" of rain during Allison at our house, 11'' of that was the infamous Friday night. I don't know what you had in your area, but you were lucky. We only got a small amount of water into our home, but the bill was over $3K. That insurance has paid for itself for quite a while already!!

I know VB not personal at all. I am sorry you had to go through that. Our neighborhood was in the first stage of developement back then. From the neighbors that were here, water got into the yards but luckly that was it. I think FI is a good investment and piece of mind. Also my WIFE made me get it after the Rita fiasco.

[CajunMama]

Rock...you haven't heard? If you live south of I-10...better have flood insurance. I didn't have flood insurance when we bought this house, not in a flood zone and 6 months after we moved in i had 6" of water in it. I'm very grateful to fema for the assistance i received from them.

[Lindaloo]

I pay about 263 a year. I am glad I had it.

[ROCK]

Rock...you haven't heard? If you live south of I-10...better have flood insurance. I didn't have flood insurance when we bought this house, not in a flood zone and 6 months after we moved in i had 6" of water in it. I'm very grateful to fema for the assistance i received from them.

yes I am way south of I-10 and the beltway. I got it...

[Audrey2Katrina]

Many times! Sorry for saying it over and over again... I'm just exhausted from the 2005 season and Katrina!

Welcome to my world. But I 'm also exhausted from hearing that time and time again. New Orleans DID NOT ask the media to focus on us alone.

Ya know, I USED to live in New Orleans, (Ninth Ward in fact) for many years. I live in Metairie now. And while the news does primarily focus on that city, (after all it was the first time a major US city has been all but destroyed since the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake!) I have been hearing EVERY DAY, reports on how bad it still is in St. Bernard, and yes, even along the Mississippi Coast, which will be a special on Fox News tomorrow. IF anyone has reason to really gripe about NON-coverage, it has been the all but forgotten areas of Plaquemines Parish the southern reaches of which have been all but wiped off the map, and Slidell which hasn't seen this kind of destruction in its history. But the fact that this once large city is still struggling with recovery is going to be the major story with references to the others whether we like it or not--that's the way the media operates.

Now just imagine that, God-forbid, a HUGE storm were to utterly devastate Houston, Texas--more than half the city still not returned six months later--even with WORSE devastation in outlying areas like Texas City, Nassau Bay, Dickinson, Beach City or total ruin in Anahuac-- I ask you, what do you think the media would be showing us day-in and day-out? Seriously! The same could be said were it to happen to places like Miami, or New York City, or some Earthquake calamity once again in San Francisco. The media thrives on name recognition! Is it a fair look at the real picture--nope. That's just what drives the media--name recognized sensationalism. Make no bones about it, there are quite literally tens of thousands in New Orleans who STILL do not have even electricity; and I KNOW the same is true for some folks along the Mississippi Coast; but to their credit I see more progress in bouncing back along that coast than I see in New Orleans which is making it a political circus. Tragedy like this is an equal opportunity destroyer, unfortunately the media is neither objective or equal in its coverage--people need to learn to deal with that.

A2K

[Audrey2Katrina]

I pretty much see what you are saying now Chris. My parents got the ball rolling too. Heck you just about have to if you want out of that FEMA trailer. The elderly is who I feel for the most.

Pascagoula lost it's main tax base. That is a HUGE hit to our budget. We are not a big city so we rely on those taxes. Cleanup is done by the city but demolition of homes we have to hire a contractor. When you have no money to pay for that service then you have flooded and badly damaged homes and businesses just sitting there. Pascagoula is still trashed. I am so sick of the piles and piles of debris and trash everywhere. Now we have these FEMA trailer parks that make it look even worse.


Excellent pics!

Sorry to hear that, Linda. I can relate to seeing the heaps of debris every day--depressing isn't it? I understand your frustration for some still waiting for help--not just the government, but insurance companies as they wriggle into positions in order to minimize their losses. Don't pay the premiums for a month and they'll cancel you in a heartbeat; and now that people I know are STILL waiting for insurance they've paid for to come through for them, I can truly understand the frustration they must be feeling. I've applied for an SBA loan to help me replace many lost items, but had I not taken the bull by the horns and done a LOT of improvising, I'd still be without furniture downstairs--Five months after this was filed I still haven't had them make the deposit even though it's already been approved. Yup, folks who absolutely have to depend on the government truly are in a bad way.

A2K

[Audrey2Katrina]

I blame the insurance companies for the standstill. My Mother's house in New Orleans East was flooded and the one year old roof severly damaged. To date she has gotten about 20K to fix her house. She has both wind and flood insurance. Both insurances sent her partial payments. She figures she is due another 100K from the insurance before she can restore the house to its pre Katrina condition. She continues to call her insurances companies yet they say to call back. She is considering legal action. I'm pretty sure this situation can be repeated thousands of times across the area impacted by Katrina. The insurance companies are holding back delaying paying. We need a huge class action suit with a few billion in punitive damages for the way the insurance companies have treated their policy holders so this won't happen again.....MGC

Absolutely spot on! I have friends who are using their SBA loans that they'd hoped to help with furnishings and other losses being forced to augment what the insurance companies are finding ways to renege on. It's pathetic. Some have been pretty good about coming through; but I've heard nightmare stories about many who are playing the delay, delay delay game. Sad.

A2K

[terstorm1012]

I blame the insurance companies for the standstill. My Mother's house in New Orleans East was flooded and the one year old roof severly damaged. To date she has gotten about 20K to fix her house. She has both wind and flood insurance. Both insurances sent her partial payments. She figures she is due another 100K from the insurance before she can restore the house to its pre Katrina condition. She continues to call her insurances companies yet they say to call back. She is considering legal action. I'm pretty sure this situation can be repeated thousands of times across the area impacted by Katrina. The insurance companies are holding back delaying paying. We need a huge class action suit with a few billion in punitive damages for the way the insurance companies have treated their policy holders so this won't happen again.....MGC

Absolutely spot on! I have friends who are using their SBA loans that they'd hoped to help with furnishings and other losses being forced to augment what the insurance companies are finding ways to renege on. It's pathetic. Some have been pretty good about coming through; but I've heard nightmare stories about many who are playing the delay, delay delay game. Sad.

A2K

I hate to say it, but I forsee in the not-to-distant future massive government bailouts of insurance companies due to natural disasters...sometimes I wish I could go back in time and say "Don't build that city there! It'll be flattened by an <insert disaster here>!"

But yea, it is horrible how y'all are being treated by the insurance companies down there. There really should be no delay...in my mind the faster they work the faster the people can recover and get back to business, meaning money circulates back into the economy faster and indirectly, more money for the insurance company!

[vbhoutex]

I blame the insurance companies for the standstill. My Mother's house in New Orleans East was flooded and the one year old roof severly damaged. To date she has gotten about 20K to fix her house. She has both wind and flood insurance. Both insurances sent her partial payments. She figures she is due another 100K from the insurance before she can restore the house to its pre Katrina condition. She continues to call her insurances companies yet they say to call back. She is considering legal action. I'm pretty sure this situation can be repeated thousands of times across the area impacted by Katrina. The insurance companies are holding back delaying paying. We need a huge class action suit with a few billion in punitive damages for the way the insurance companies have treated their policy holders so this won't happen again.....MGC

Absolutely spot on! I have friends who are using their SBA loans that they'd hoped to help with furnishings and other losses being forced to augment what the insurance companies are finding ways to renege on. It's pathetic. Some have been pretty good about coming through; but I've heard nightmare stories about many who are playing the delay, delay delay game. Sad.

A2K

I hate to say it, but I forsee in the not-to-distant future massive government bailouts of insurance companies due to natural disasters...sometimes I wish I could go back in time and say "Don't build that city there! It'll be flattened by an <insert disaster here>!"

But yea, it is horrible how y'all are being treated by the insurance companies down there. There really should be no delay...in my mind the faster they work the faster the people can recover and get back to business, meaning money circulates back into the economy faster and indirectly, more money for the insurance company!

So correct ter!!! Too bad the insurance companies can't seem to fathom that simple fact!!!!

[bevgo]

I met a 92 y/o man in Pascagoula that gutted his home alone. No one is waiting for the government here. In the NO area I have not been able to find a contractor or roofer to even give me an estimate on repairs to my home. Looks like, at the age of 50, I will be on my roof myself and replacing my own siding. I had minimal damage and all the contractors want the big jobs right now.

Living here on the MS gulf coast I see things happening daily. Pascagoula was hit hard but folks don't hear those stories very often. I see it daily. It is really sad.

I was in NO this week to see my MD. He lost his home--only slab left--had no flood insurance and all the damage is from flood. At least he has the resources to make it back. The elderly don't have that and are really struggling now. Thank God for all the church groups that have come to help. They are angels sent from heaven.