RedBankGreen is reporting that the Borough of Sea Bright has ended its participation of a federal pilot program set up to get residents displaced by Superstorm Sandy back into their homes quickly, because..surprise surprise, the Sheltering and Temporary Electric and Power (STEP) program was holding residents back.
Following up on the story of the Purcells from Toms River posted last week, my friend Ken Braswell of ShoreGrafx and I visited the Purcells at what is left of their home.
Kim and Jay were sold a flood insurance policy with a $206,000 dollar limit, well in excess of the value of the home. A engineer they hired at their own expense (because their insurance adjuster told them it may take a year for the insurance company to send a engineer) and a contractor told them their house could not be rebuilt and must be torn down. Their insurance company said their house can be rebuilt for $28,000. The insurance company adjuster said he was sending the check and closing the file, regardless of what the Purcells or the public adjuster they hired had to say about it.
Since we visited Kim and Jay, the insurance company has reopened the file and is sending an engineer out to inspect the home. Let’s hope the insurance company does the right thing.
If they don’t, we’ll have a lot more material to publicize.
