Insured Applicants May Be Eligible for Assistance for Unmet Needs
Trenton, NJ –Disaster assistance may sometimes cover damages that insurance doesn’t. That is why individuals affected by Hurricane Sandy are urged by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to apply for assistance even if they have insurance.
Apply for FEMA assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by web-enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. Applicants can also register by phone by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), 711/VRS, or TTY 1-800-462-7585.
Only applying directly with FEMA will establish your registration for disaster assistance. Signing up or meeting with any other agency does not mean you are registered with FEMA.
“We want everyone qualified for assistance to receive help as soon as possible,”said State Coordinating Officer Lt. Jeff Mottley.
Keep in mind that you need to file your insurance claim with your insurance company as soon as possible. Failure to file a claim may affect a policyholder’s eligibility for disaster assistance. You have up to 12 months from the date of registration with FEMA to submit insurance information for review.
“By law, we cannot duplicate what insurance already covers. But we may be able to help with some disaster-related expenses, that are not covered by insurance,”explained Federal Coordinating Officer Michael J. Hall.
After filing a claim, if any of the following situations occurs FEMA may be able to provide some assistance:
Your insurance settlement is delayed.
“Delayed”means a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed longer than 30-days from the time you filed the claim.
If a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed, you will need to mail a letter or send a FAX to FEMA explaining the circumstance. Mail or FAX your letter to:
FEMA IHP
National Processing Service Center
PO Box 10055
Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055
FAX 1-800-827-8112
You should include documentation from the insurance company proving that you filed the claim.
If you filed your claim over the telephone, you should include the claim number, date when you applied, and the estimated time of how long it will take to receive your settlement.
If you receive FEMA assistance and you later find that your insurance will cover what your FEMA assistance was for, then you must return that money to FEMA because
it is considered a duplicate benefit.
Your insurance settlement is insufficient to meet your disaster-related needs.
If you have received the maximum settlement from your insurance and still have an unmet disaster-related need, you will need to mail or FAX a letter to FEMA at the above address indicating the unmet disaster-related need.
You will also need to send in documentation from your insurance company on what they cover for review.
You have exhausted the Additional Living Expenses (ALE) provided by your insurance company.
If you have received the maximum settlement from your insurance for Additional Living Expenses and still need help with your disaster-related temporary housing need, mail or FAX a letter to FEMA at the above address indicating why you continue to have a temporary housing need.
You will also need to provide documentation to prove use of ALE from insurance,
and a permanent housing plan.
You are unable to locate rental resources in your area.
The FEMA Helpline has a list of rental resources in the disaster area.
SBA Loans
Many people who apply for disaster aid also receive an application for a low-interest disaster loan from the SBA. If you receive an application, be sure to fill it out and return it in order
to be considered for all forms of disaster assistance.
FEMA will process applications for housing assistance regardless of whether or not the applicant has applied for an SBA loan. Eligibility determinations for FEMA’s temporary housing assistance will not be held up because the applicant has or has not filled out an SBA application.
You must complete an SBA loan application to be eligible for additional assistance under
the part of the FEMA program that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement,
and moving and storage expenses.
You can apply for an SBA disaster loan online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
Scott Rasmussen’s column, Respecting Voters Matters More Than Policy, is a must read for all political leaders. Republican leaders and activists should print two copies…one for the refrigerator door and one for the bathroom mirror. A third copy to use as a bookmark for the bedside Bible is not a bad idea.
The Republican Party has won a majority of the popular vote just once in the last six elections. That dismal track record followed a party revival in the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan led the GOP to three straight popular vote majorities.
To understand what went wrong, it’s important to remember Reagan was an insurgent candidate who defeated the Republican establishment of his era. When Reagan left office, however, the old establishment reasserted control. They consistently nominated candidates for president who opposed Reagan in 1980 and consistently lost elections.
The difference is that Ronald Reagan believed in the American people and was skeptical of government. Today’s Republican establishment believes in government and is skeptical of the American people. That’s why most Republican voters today believe the party is out of touch with the base.
Consider Mitt Romney’s infamous comments about the 47 percent who are allegedly dependent upon government. After the election, Romney even said that President Obama won by giving “gifts” to these dependent Americans. The Republican establishment grumbles about makers versus takers.
Reagan had a different view. He asked, “How can we love our country and not love our countrymen?” When he passed a major tax reform bill, he was proud that it removed millions of low-income Americans from the income tax rolls. Reagan looked at low-income Americans and saw people who wanted an opportunity to work hard and get ahead. He saw a nation that was happy to extend a helping hand to all who were willing to work.
Figure Accounts for Cleanup Costs to Date Plus Rebuilding and Improvements to Infrastructure
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Trenton, NJ – In response to the unprecedented and widespread damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to personal property, businesses, transportation and utilities infrastructure, as well as New Jersey’s $38 billion tourism industry, the Christie Administration has completed a preliminary cost analysis of those damages, which puts the total cost at approximately $29.4 billion. The estimate will be further refined in the days and weeks ahead.
“This preliminary number is based on the best available data, field observations and geographical mapping, and supported by expert advice from my Cabinet commissioners and an outside consulting company,” said Governor Christie. “In a short period of time, we put together a comprehensive and responsible estimate, which may increase in the weeks ahead, and I stand ready to work with our Congressional delegation and the Obama Administration to get the funding support New Jersey expects and deserves in the aftermath of this catastrophe.
“We will continue to provide immediate relief for our citizens who were struck hard by Sandy,” the Governor continued. “But be assured, I will spare no effort and waste no time to rebuild and restore our tourism industry, our transportation and utilities infrastructure and the lives of our citizens for the long term.”
The preliminary cost estimate is inclusive of aid received to date and anticipated from federal sources including FEMA and the Small Business Administration. The estimate will likely be refined further to consider and include the long-term impact on the next tourism season, shifts in population, impact on real estate values and other factors.
Spring Lake resident James Lincoln Turner’s Seven Superstorms of the Northeast: And Other Blizzards, Hurricanes & Tempests is a book that Al Gore and his comrades probably don’t want you to read. Tuner writes of devastating storms in the Northeast dating back to the early 1600’s when the Pilgrims were warming the globe with campfires and horse dung was the biggest transportation related pollution. Turner’s book is filled with historical photos of storms that ravaged the Monmouth County towns of Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Red Bank and Sea Bright.
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Earlier this morning I joked that Newark Mayor Cory Booker hasn’t been active on twitter since the Rutgers-Eagleton poll that indicates Governor Chris Christie’s sky high approval ratings.
Turns out that Booker has much bigger problems.
The Star Ledgeris reporting that a Newark City Council meeting erupted into chaos yesterday over Bookers vote to replace Congressman-elect Donald Payne, JR on the council with Shanique Davis Speight, a long time ally of power broker Steven Abudato, SR, over the angry objections of residents and city council members who preferred that former Mayor Sharpe James son, John Sharpe James.
The a crowd lead by SEIU Local 617 President Rahaman Muhammad rushed the dais after Booker cast his deciding vote for Speight. Police responded by pepper spraying Muhammad, residents, a reporter and at least one other police officer. Councilman Darrin Sharif, who had walked off the dais in protest, told the Ledger that “This truly was an out-of-body experience. The mayor, who goes all around the country to talk about democracy … literally in the back of the room, hiding in the shadows.”
The crowd was shouting, “Cory’s got to go,” according to the Ledger report.
Meanwhile, the conservative website The Daily Caller reported that Booker may soon be living on food stamps. The mayor got into twat (a term I just made up that means twitter spat) with one of his followers, @MWadeMC wherein he challeged the woman to join him in living on food stamps for a week or a month in New Jersey to see what it is like.
The Ledger report and the DC report lead to a colorful public twat between Democratic operatives Jay Lassiter (@jay_lass), Jeff Gardner (@JeffPGardner) and Steve Ayscue (@SteveAyscue). Lassiter and Garnder were critical of Booker’s back room dealing, calling him corrupt. Ayscue defended Booker, saying that comparing what happened in Newark last night over Payne’s council seat to former Mayor James corruption was like comparing apples and oranges. The quick witted Garnder responded, “apples and oranges may be different, but in the end, they’re both still fruit.”
The pollsters that Governor Chris Chrisite called “crap” last month released the first post Hurricane Sandy independent poll this morning. The results give the governor extremely high marks for his handling of the superstorm which ravaged the Jersey Shore and impacted 66% of all New Jersey residents.
On October 9, Christie reacted to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll that indicated improving approval ratings but soft support for his reelection by calling the Eagleton polls “crap.”
“It’s never good, it’s never accurate. When it’s good for me, it’s not right, when it’s bad for me it’s not right,” Christie said according to PolitickerNJ. He said he would not comment about future Eagleton polls.
But Sandy was a live changing event. Don’t be surprised if Christie has something honest and refreshing to say about today’s polling results when questioned by a reporter.
92% of the respondents said that Christie handled Hurricane Sandy well. 69% said he handled it “very well” and 23% rated him “somewhat well.”
The other 8% are cranky and don’t like fleece. (MMM’s assessment, not a poll result)
81% answered that Christie and President Obama showed the “needed cooperation and bipartisanship” in handling the aftermath of Sandy. 12% said Christie went too far in his praise of the president.
Christie’s ovrerall favorability rating now stands at 65%, 67% with registered voters.
49% of Democrats, 70% of Independents and 89% of Republicans now have a favorable impression of the governor. Only 38% of Democrats report an unfavorable impression of him, down from 68% in early October.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, considered the only Democrat with a chance to defeat Christie in the 2013 general election, has not been active on twitter since the poll was released.
In early December of 2005 I attended the annual holiday gathering of the Monmouth Ocean Development Council. This particular party stands out in my memory of the hundreds of such parties I’ve attended over the years because of the entertainment. A jazz band from New Orleans was touring the country to raise money for the Katrina recovery efforts. Their music was fabulous. Their plea for help is what stuck with me. It was deep, personal and profound. The wreckage seen on television four months earlier was a distant memory for me, until I felt a little of the pain in that band’s plea.
The difference between hearing about and watching news accounts of a devastating hurricance and living through the aftermath of such a catostrophic event is like the difference between watching porn and having sex, though not nearly as fun. It’s not fun at all.
is the story of a small town in the shadow a big city that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It is an encouraging and inspirational tale that will be a great gift for those of us impacted by Sandy.
is a book that Al Gore and his comrades probably don’t want you to read. Tuner writes of devastating storms in the Northeast dating back to the early 1600’s when the Pilgrims were warming the globe with campfires and horse dung was the biggest transportation related pollution. Turner’s book is filled with historical photos of storms that ravaged the Monmouth County towns of Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Red Bank and Sea Bright.
