October 18, 2016 Oakland hills My Word: Preventing repeat of 1991 fire begins with you This month — Thursday of this week to be exact — is the 25th anniversary of the Oakland/Berkeley hills firestorm. Many of you were here that day. Some of you — like my husband and me — escaped the flames with just the clothes on…
October 11, 2016 Black Forest Fire victim advises Beulah Hill Fire victims Sherri Bertrand shares experience of losing home. A previous wildfire victim in El Paso County is offering advice to victims of a recent fire in Pueblo County. Sherri Bertrand of Black Forest said she was out of town the first week of the Beulah Hill…
September 11, 2016 Hope and heartache in the year of fire Cobb Mountain – Maya Leonard sighed deeply as she stood between her parents on a sun-dappled morning in late spring, her freckled face somber. Her mother, Cindy, and father, David, each draped an arm around her shoulders. Maya watched as one of six men in…
August 27, 2016 Closer look at flood insurance, FEMA’s reforms, lessons learned after Sandy missteps If the Federal Emergency Management Agency dealt itself a black eye with the poor job it did responding to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the horror stories that came out of the flood insurance claims process after Superstorm Sandy gave the agency another nasty shiner seven…
August 22, 2016 Day 10: Clayton Fire Hits 95% Containment Community rebuilding efforts underway include an assistance center in Lower Lake and a public meeting on Wednesday. Containment on the Clayton Fire, now in its 10th day in Lake County south of Lower Lake, has hit 95 percent with 3,920 acres consumed, according to this…
August 3, 2016 Rays of hope as Middletown residents return amid Valley fire The Valley fire had spoiled Eric Lopez’s marriage proposal, but the story took an astonishing turn Saturday as he and his partner, Annette Perez, returned to their demolished Middletown apartment, armed with a shovel and rake to search the ashen remains of their worldy possessions.…
August 1, 2016 Long Island Company Charged in Insurance Scheme After Hurricane Sandy A Long Island engineering company and one of its former executives were charged on Monday in a scheme to minimize insurance payments to homeowners whose residences were damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In a 50-count indictment, Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York attorney general,…
July 29, 2016 Are insurance rates going up for people on the fire line? and other FAQ about fire insurance) As of midday Friday, the Soberanes Fire in Monterey County had destroyed at least 41 homes and put at least 2,000 homes and other buildings at risk. Meanwhile, the Sand Fire, which has burned more than 38,800 acres in the Santa Clarita hillsides, is 85…
July 25, 2016 Roadmap to Recovery’ workshop for Valley fire survivors planned for Aug. 2 COBB, Calif. – The “Roadmap to Recovery” workshop to discuss “healing and dealing” at the one-year anniversary of the Valley fire will be presented Tuesday, Aug. 2. The workshop will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Little Red Schoolhouse, located at 15780…
July 8, 2016 Insurance emergency bulletin issued for West Virginia flood victims Flash floods are doubly devastating because they often hit areas that had not been classified as flood risk zones. Because most people only buy flood insurance if they’re in a zone where mortgage lenders by law make them buy it, flash flood victims rarely have…
June 28, 2016 Roadmap to Recovery Workshop – Kamiah, Idaho UP is partnering with WUNCCIL (long term recovery group) to host a Roadmap to Recovery workshop for wildfire survivors in Kamiah, Idaho on June 28th at 6pm at the Kamiah Fire Station on Main St. This workshop will cover: Navigating your insurance claim Extending deadlines Recovering “held-back”…
May 26, 2016 Mom, Baby Get $3,500 Ambulance Bill After Hospital Parking Lot Birth Baby Sawyer just couldn’t wait to enter the world when his mother Katie Moraida’s water broke a week before he was due. Katie recalls her husband Daniel shouting “‘What do I do, what do I do?’” “Get in the car!” Katie replied. The Moraida’s got…
May 9, 2016 Aid may be available to repair or replace a vehicle damaged by April floods Texans whose vehicles were damaged or destroyed by this April’s flooding may be eligible to receive federal assistance to repair or replace the vehicle. “Those who may be eligible include not just residents of the designated counties, but also those who were working in or…
May 6, 2016 Sandy advocate calls for investigation of FEMA TOMS RIVER — Saying the Jersey Shore’s recovery has been “cut off at the knees” because of lowball flood insurance payments, a Sandy advocate has repeated the call for an investigation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Sue Marticek, executive director of the Ocean County…
April 26, 2016 Angie’s List offers free service for Houston flood victims to connect with contractors HOUSTON – Victims of flooding who need to make home repairs can benefit from a free service now being offered by Angie’s List, a review and rating website geared toward consumers. Angie’s List is offering KPRC viewers, who’ve experienced flood damage, free access to the…
April 11, 2016 Homeowners responsible for proper insurance It’s been nearly four years since an unknown source sparked one of the costliest wildfires in Colorado history. Waldo Canyon fire insurance claims totaled more than $350 million — almost $1 million for every home lost. That fire’s infelicitous record would stand less than a…
March 28, 2016 When Insurance Can And Cannot) Cover Terrorist Acts FORBES – After the terrorist bombings in Brussels last week, over 200 flights going to or through the affected airport were canceled, disrupting travel for thousands. The airport remained closed down through Friday. Some of the airlines with itineraries to Brussels issued refunds to their…
March 25, 2016 Is Your Home a Death Trap? You May Be Eligible for Compensation US News and World Report – Four ways to help fund the removal of toxins from your home. Discovering toxins in your home is often terrifying – it’s not just lowering the value of your home, but it’s also potentially causing long-lasting health problems. While…
