Many Homeowners Still Awaiting Insurance Settlements from Hurricane Sandy

New Jersey has received nearly 2 billion dollars in federal Hurricane Sandy relief funds to be distributed by the state as it sees fit – but with federal oversight.  However, many residents are questioning whether those funds are helping those who need it most.

Red Flags Raised

A recent building project in Belleville, New Jersey is raising red flags about whether Hurricane Sandy relief aid is going to the places and the people who truly need it the most.  According to nj.com, Governor Chris Christie’s administration recently used $6 million in Sandy aid to help fund a senior center and housing complex in Belleville, New Jersey.

While supporters say that the housing complex was built to help those displaced from Superstorm Sandy, others say that Belleville did not sustain much damage in Sandy and that funds should be put to better use and help those in areas hit hardest by the storm.  Some of those hard-hit areas include:

  • Tom’s River
  • Seaside Heights
  • Point Pleasant
  • Asbury Park
  • Ocean Township
  • Long Branch
  • Monmouth Beach
  • New Jersey’s Barrier Island towns

Many of the residents in these areas have yet to receive the help they need – even though it’s been over a year since Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern seaboard.  While some homeowners and business owners had the means to repair and rebuild without federal funds and insurance proceeds, the majority of residents simply could not.  Sadly, many have not been able to return to their homes – and back to the lives they once had.

Getting Back To the Life You Had

Many homeowners who have yet to receive their rightful insurance proceeds after Hurricane Sandy hit are likely wondering if getting back to the life they once had is even possible after all this time.  It is – and here’s why.  Insurance companies have a legal duty to treat their policyholders in good faith and deal with them fairly. Proceeds that have not been paid out at this point certainly suggest the possibility of bad faith insurance practices.

If you fall into that category, it’s important to understand that you can recover your rightful insurance proceeds, you don’t have to go it alone and you can put all of this behind you – now.

  • You can recover your rightful insurance proceeds.  If your insurance company is obligated to reimburse you for losses based on your insurance contract, they must do so.  Period.  If they don’t, you can take them to court and force them to pay.
  • You don’t have to go it alone.  It’s understandable that most policyholders feel intimidated at the thought of taking a multi-million insurance company to court.  However, you don’t have to go it alone.  An experienced insurance dispute lawyer can help you by analyzing your situation, assessing your legal options and determining what’s best for you and your family so that you can make an informed decision.
  • You can put all of this behind you – now.  Homeowners who are still waiting for their insurance companies to do something – anything – are understandably frustrated and may feel as though their current situation is perpetual.  It is not.  With the help of a bad faith insurance lawyer, you can put all of this behind you – now.

You likely paid a great deal of money in insurance policy premiums, and insurers who accept those premiums also accept the transfer of risk.  Don’t let your insurance company off the hook if you are rightfully entitled to insurance proceeds.