If your home or business were damaged or destroyed in Superstorm Sandy, this section of our library will help you access information and tools through United Policyholders’ Roadmap to Recovery® program for overcoming challenges with property, flood and auto insurance claims and reaching a fair settlement.  We are providing services in partnership with local officials and other recovery aid groups in New York and New Jersey with support from volunteers, individual donors, the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund and Long Island Community Foundation.  We remain deeply committed to the recovery effort.  Scroll down for key tips and a menu of resources.

2017 UPDATE: FEMA has extended the deadline for NFIP policyholders to respond to settlement offers to September 15, 2017. The initial deadline was July 31. FEMA has also extended the deadline for third-party neutral review to October 25, 2017.

2015 UPDATE AND ALERT:  In response to pressure from homeowners, public officials, lawsuits and recovery aid workers including UP, FEMA agreed to reopen all 144,000 NFIP Sandy claims for review after evidence surfaced that an unknown number of claims were underpaid and/or improperly handled.  UP did our best to help shape the reopen and review process to make it easy to access, thorough and fair. UP connected our volunteer David Charles, (a flood claim estimating expert) with long term recovery aid workers in New Jersey, and helped organize free workshops to help people prepare and file their reopen paperwork.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 IS YOUR LAST DAY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS A FINAL DEADLINE.

FEMA/NFIP officials are providing good guidance on the reopen process, and we will continue to update this page as new information becomes available.  Bookmark this page and check back regularly to stay informed.  Some NFIP policyholders impacted by Sandy are too burnt out or skeptical about the reopen process to even try it.  Others are taking advantage of the free clinics and help.  Others are hiring attorneys.  

REOPEN YOUR CLAIM

Superstorm Sandy Claim Help Library

This library is for property and business owners, policyholder advocates, elected officials and the media. The Library contains tips, articles, bulletins, forms, reports, statistics, links and a wealth of information. Common challenges include disputes over deductibles, depreciation, repair methods and costs, rotating/inexperienced adjusters, scams, flood policy limits, water and mold damage exclusions/caps and the “anti-concurrent causation” clause that has deprived hundreds of thousands of consumers of insurance benefits they reasonably expected would protect them after a disaster.

Here is a partial list of claim tips and resources United Policyholders is offering those affected by Superstorm Sandy:

Key Insurance Claim Tips:

• Focus on completely inventorying and valuing all damage and costs to repair or replace your property, regardless of your insurance situation.

• Keep a diary of conversations with insurance, repair, government and other professionals.

• Flood policies have different rules than home policies.

• If you did not have flood insurance, there may still be Sandy damage that should be covered under your home policy, depending on how it is written.  Examples could be wind-driven rain, sewage backup due to electrical failure of a pump or other device, other damage due to power outages or surges.

• Give your home and/or flood insurer a chance to do the right thing, but advocate for yourself and get help from the NJ DOI and/or experienced professionals if you feel you’re not being treated fairly.

• If a home or flood insurance adjuster says damage isn’t covered, but you feel it should be, get an independent professional opinion before giving up on getting some or all of your claim paid.

Insurance Recovery Information, Tools and Resources

• Superstorm Sandy: First Steps and UP Resources
• Top Ten Insurance Claim Tips
• Flood Insurance Claim Tips
• After a hurricane – Insurance claim tips and useful information
• Roadmap to Recovery Tools Request Form – “Road tested” tools to help document your loss
• Contents Claim Tips – For Recovering the Costs of Repairing and Replacing Damaged/Destroyed Household Items
  Insurance Recovery Tips for the Dwelling Part of Your Claim– How to collect the full amount your insurer owes you for what it would reasonably cost to repair/rebuild
• The Scoop on Scope (of Loss)
• Speak UP: How to communicate with your insurance company
• Mold Damage Guide – Information about resources about mold damage
• Sample Claim and Proof of Loss Form
• Insurance-Related Sandy Deadlines Alert
• Resolving Flood Insurance Disputes
• National Flood Insurance Program Proofs of Loss, Damage Estimates and Supplemental Claims
• State by State Assistance – Find specific information for your state
• Claim Help Library – Search for tips and information on insurance claims, legal matters and the rebuilding/repair proces
• Hiring Professional Help – Read our before you sign on the dotted line
• Post Disaster Income Tax Information

Additional Resources

• New Jersey Builders Association RREM Hurricane Sandy Resource Center
• reNEW Jersey Stronger
• New York Hurricane Sandy Disaster Recovery Resources
• NY Rising Housing Recovery Program: Understanding Reconstruction Awards
• National Flood Insurance Program – Summary of Coverage – This document was prepared by the NFIP to help you understand your flood insurance policy
• National Disaster Legal Aid

Water Damage Library archive  This Library was originally created after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 as a resource for property and business owners, policyholder advocates, elected officials and the media. It is designed to explain and help solve insurance claim problems faced by home and business owners after large scale catastrophes. The Library contains tips, articles, bulletins, forms, reports, statistics, links and a wealth of information.

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