Don't Mess With Mississippi!

[HurryKane]

Mary, I don't know what to say in an effort to comfort you, but I am sorry for your losses and that things are so frustrating for you. You are in my thoughts.

[CajunMama]

Linda is correct in the surge was expected. The storm surge was predicted. I found the old discussions....and part of Advisory 21 ( http://www.esl.lsu.edu//quicklinks/hurr ... Pub_Adv.21 ) read:

COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE
LEVELS...LOCALLY AS HIGH AS 25 FEET ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS
BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE
CENTER MAKES LANDFALL.

Advisory 23

COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 18 TO 22 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE
LEVELS...LOCALLY AS HIGH AS 28 FEET ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS
BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE
CENTER MAKES LANDFALL.

If anyone is interested in all the old advisories and discussions and some other things you can find it at http://www.esl.lsu.edu/quicklinks/hurri ... 5/KATRINA/

[Camille_2_Katrina]

Scruggs is an excellent attorney and I would not want to be an opposing attorney against him. He has an good argument. Hurricane deductible? Is surge part of a hurricane?. Unless the policy explicitly exempts surge then they might have a got ya clause.....MGC

all home owner policies issued over the past 30 years here on the coast
explicity exempt surge... no question.

Who are you insured with? Because they do not explicity exempt surge. The wording is " Your policy DOES NOT cover" then they word it "uprising"

Like I stated earlier, I received my renewal yesterday. Under "New Endorsements" they stated "This policy does not cover flood damage" LOL!!

I blame agents for this one too. ALOT of people do not know there is a thing called "excess flood" which would have covered everything. Of course, people can't get that now because we already flooded. The agents knew about this.

i think 99.9% of the blame goes to Katrina...

How come no one gets mad at Katrina? She was
the the one that stole everything from us!

How in the hell can you get mad at Mother Nature? You are insured to be protected against this type of thing.

i'm not mad at mother nature. that's the point. It's acceptance. I acccept
the fact that a brutal storm came to took a lot of things from a lot of people. It's not anyones fault. we don't have to find people to blame for our loss. We don't have to find someone to be Mad at.

I lost more than most... not as much as many. We will recover.
I don't need red cross... i don't need fema. I appreciate the help i
have recieved from friends and church groups. I am humbled by
the weather. i'm humbled by the courage and strength i've seen
in the people around me. I'm afraid to say that i have also been
ashamed by some of the things i've seen. acts of selfishness, greed
and outright theft. it's humbling in it's own way... anyway... I didn't
say get mad at katrina... i said this is 99.9%her fault. she flooded
our homes. she killed people. she threw trees on homes... etc.

[MSRobi911]

Mary, I don't know what to say in an effort to comfort you, but I am sorry for your losses and that things are so frustrating for you. You are in my thoughts.

Thanks HurryKane, I appreciate the thoughts. There is no comfort except for to go to our God, whomever you chose to believe in. We may have been wiped out, our family's homes flooded, but my family is all alive and well. I give thanks for that every day of my life! As you know as a Southerner we can survive just about anything with the Lord willing and we will make it through this, it will take some time, but we will. I should say without the help of Paxil, I wouldn't be so calm! LoL

Mary

[HurryKane]

Oh, girl, we constantly talk at work about who is on the happy pills and who isn't.

[Bluefrog]

Well, I'm ready for them to start cleaning Spinnaker Pointe.....I'm getting tired of going down there and wishing and looking for my stuff and my mom's.

[Bluefrog]

Mary ... how many trucks are living beside you now? and across the street?

[MSRobi911]

Too many to count!!!! ROFL


They said the other day it was starting to slow down and some of them would be leaving. They are really nice guys and haven't caused a problem except for the dang beeping from those machines drives me crazy!

Mary

[Bluefrog]

my mom ended up buying the beach lot across from you ...

[MSRobi911]

Finally got the letter from Nationwide!! We have been denied flat out. Oh well, they sent us a check for $500.00 for food that was lost...duh like that is gonna fix everything. Guess I can call my attorney now!!!!!!!

Mary

[Jim Cantore]

I have heard that insurance companies are denieing claims by saying that the houses were destroyed by flooding not by winds. If the com. can say that there was no wind damage, just water then the claim is denied. Bunch of crooks they are.

By Surge, caused by winds

I hope the insurance companies get sued and I hope it costs them big time and these people get the money they deserve

[Lindaloo]

Finally got the letter from Nationwide!! We have been denied flat out. Oh well, they sent us a check for $500.00 for food that was lost...duh like that is gonna fix everything. Guess I can call my attorney now!!!!!!!

Mary

Nationwide needs to be added to the list. They flat out refuse to pay for any damages.

[SouthFloridawx]

I take, I should never mess with Mississippi?

[Lindaloo]

I take, I should never mess with Mississippi?

On certain issues. LOL!!

[f5]

the insurance companies are enjoying that record surge to get out from paying claims.we are sorry sir surge did this and that we like to help you but our policy doesn't include H20 damage

[IHadSnakeFarm]

I am sorry for all you are all going through. I am not computer savoy, but would like to express my sorrow for you all because it is a long hard path. I have done it. I mean no harm, but the most important thing is to not rely on winning against insurance companies. The best that can be done is to set caselaw that will help the next person. *If* you win, then it is a perk, but understand that you are going into battle. Katrina is not an entity to blame, she did not take your money and offer false promises of protection. Big business, insurance companies did. It is sad to me that insurance companies are allowed to exist and skirt contracts, then spend years fighting, further victimizing the victims. I believe that they are fraudulent and conduct themselves in this manner to all that broach compensation for any travesty that might have occurred. Furthermore, it is disgusting that you are required in some places to have insurance by your mortgage lender.

My rates went from $1016/year to over $5000 because my home was attacked. Someone wanted my property and I wouldn't sell it so it was attacked. Visciously.

Considering the possiblities, we are all alive and that is one thing. To go after them with a ferver that is tainted by hate and anger is not any mistake I would wish on any of you. I did it and am myself a hypocrite because I still fight demons, just not them. I had choices and could not battle every entity involved, but I clung on long enough to try and establish some caselaw.

If you are all not familiar with the corruption and goings on in California regarding the earthquakes they had years and years ago, I advise you to familiarize yourselves with Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush. An employee leaked docs to the press that he was assisting insurance companies in screwing claimants out of earthquake damage claims and subsequently fired her for her honesty in whistleblowing.

I am not sure, but I don't believe any of those victims have been fully compensated.

I don't want to be the downer here, or hurt any of you in anyway, but don't make my mistake and live your life for justice because sometimes, it just never comes. I just keep trying and hopeing that it will, but statistically, I think a spaceship will land on my house and probe me before I see any justice. It doesn't mean that there won't be a universal balance somewhere in the universe, it just means that I won't be around to see them catch their lunch.

I hope you guys win, but continue to live today or you will wake up on day realizing that you have been a victim twice, like I do everyday.

Good luck and find peace. Goodbye.

[stormcrow]

This all leads to an interesting place. Lawyers using local courts (with judges that often need local votes) to force the insurance companies to pay for losses they did not underwrite. (poor or corrupt claims handling does happen but is a seperate issue). This is still a free enterprise country and when the ability to make a $ is taken away (try to find a baby doctor in Nevada) then the service will disappear. But don't worry, from the folks who brought you NFIP will come an answer the NCIP (National Catastrophe Insurance Progam). Would you rather deal with the private insurers or the good folks at FEMA (Homeland Security). Think carefully on this one.

[Lindaloo]

This all leads to an interesting place. Lawyers using local courts (with judges that often need local votes) to force the insurance companies to pay for losses they did not underwrite. (poor or corrupt claims handling does happen but is a seperate issue). This is still a free enterprise country and when the ability to make a $ is taken away (try to find a baby doctor in Nevada) then the service will disappear. But don't worry, from the folks who brought you NFIP will come an answer the NCIP (National Catastrophe Insurance Progam). Would you rather deal with the private insurers or the good folks at FEMA (Homeland Security). Think carefully on this one.

That they didn't underwrite? Plain is plain and simple is simple. I am interested to know if you work in the insurance industry.

[stormcrow]

Yes i do, I adjust losses after major catastrophes. I understand the the good and the bad of the industry. When the NFIP and the insurers determined what was flood and what was not they then work out risk factors to determine premiums. As the wordings clearly intend (the fact the lawyers have gotten this into state court is to their advantage) the tidal surge is flood, when the rates were set for hurricane risk area they did not factor in paying for flood losses. If the courts force them to pay, then they insurers will either have to have a massive increase in rates or simply stop writing any policies in coastal areas. Some insurers wold go broke (having barely survived 04 and 05 let alone the potential of 06. Global re-insurance markets are already tight and rates are climbing. So the only solution may be a NFIP like program. "Plain is plain and simple is simple" the insurers may be forced by state judges to pay losses that were clearly not covered (refer to exclusion posted early in this thread.
If you were treated unfairly or criminally by your insurer then nail em, there has been lots of successful bad faith litigation. Don't be like the police in Baton Rouge who thought they were entitled to $2000 from Fema just cause they were in Lousiana and expect something you didn't pay for.

[Lindaloo]

Well it is about damn time don't ya think? All you adjusters are controlled by the insurance companies. I was once controlled by them but not anymore. You can talk to us until you are blue in the face. Fact is, the insurance companies need more regulation. They will lose BIG in Mississippi, how is that?