Smith to Host NJ Congressional Delegation Briefing to Address Underpayments to Sandy Victims

Calls on Federal Flood Insurance Program head to work with Jersey Delegation to establish retrospective claims process

Congressman Chris Smith and Monmouth County Shaun Golden prepare to survey Hurricane Sandy damage. November, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, announced today that he will be hosting a meeting with Brad Kieserman, Deputy Associate Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which oversees the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), in order to establish a new, workable process for revisiting and resolving all flood insurance claims brought by Sandy-affected homeowners. Kieserman agreed to the meeting to which Smith will invite the entire NJ congressional delegation.

“After a lengthy and productive phone conference with Mr. Kieserman, I look forward to hosting the meeting with the NJ delegation and getting to the bottom of these widespread and outrageous practices that are defrauding and cheating NJ Sandy victims, who are federal flood insurance policy holders,” Smith said. “I am pleased that FEMA has agreed with my and others’ request to review any and all potential underpayments to Sandy victims. We can now work together to establish a new, credible process moving forward.

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Explainer: Why Many Sandy Victims Are Frustrated With Their Insurance Companies

Of the nearly 75,000 flood-insurance claims that New Jersey homeowners filed in the aftermath of Sandy, FEMA says that the National Flood Insurance Program had paid 58,055 policyholders a total of $3.9 billion as of early last month. But 6,532 claims were rejected and closed without payment, and throughout the region, some 1,500 cases remain bogged… Read the rest of this entry »

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FEMA Responds to Complaints From Sandy Victims, Agreeing to Consider Reforms

Months of pressure from storm survivors and lawmakers in New Jersey and New York culminated Friday with the Federal Emergency Management Agency committing to reform key parts of the National Flood Insurance Program. The program covers more than five-and-a-half million policyholders across the country, and it’s been an important part of the Sandy recovery, paying out… Read the rest of this entry »

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