The wealthy New Jersey townships of Mantoloking and Brick, both of which are situated on a barrier island located on the Atlantic shore, were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Very hard. In fact, all 521 homes in the townships suffered severe damage. Now, residents are preparing for a bit of construction – in the form of a 40-foot beach front steel sea wall.
“We Can’t Go Through This Again!”
Those are the sentiments of most of the townships’ residents. According to New Jersey’s Point Pleasant Patch, Hurricane Sandy’s high winds and flood waters cut the barrier island borough in half, opening a new inlet between the ocean and Barnegat Bay. Filling in that breach and rebuilding Route 35 along the shore took a massive emergency construction project.
Residents have reported that they live in fear of the next storm as the 2013-2014 hurricane season draws near. For now, public works’ crews have bulldozed large walls of sand into makeshift dunes that residents hope will hold out against another storm before the wall is installed.
Construction of the steel sea wall is scheduled to begin this fall. It will extend 16 feet above the beach and reach 32 feet below the ground to keep it firmly anchored. The metal will not be visible because of the sand covering it. Most of the $40 million cost is being absorbed by the federal government (80%), and the state will pay the remaining 20%, with the townships paying to keep sand covering the wall.
Thoroughly Protected?
While residents hope that the sea wall will protect them in future storms, there is no guarantee that it will. That’s where insurance comes in. Insurance policies are meant to pay you for any unforeseen losses you incur. In exchange for that “transferring of the risk,” you pay the insurance company premiums – a lot of premiums.
This policy is a contract, and when a loss occurs, your insurance company is legally obligated to honor the terms of that contract. Unfortunately, many insurers simply want to hold on to your premiums and engage in bad faith insurance practices, such as disputing settlement amounts, improperly calculating deductibles, undervaluing claims, proposing unfair settlements and denying claims altogether.
The bottom line is that you do not have to put up with it. The New York insurance dispute attorneys at Belluck & Fox have the experience it takes to get your claim settled. We know how insurance companies operate and can help you level the playing field. Contact us today and let’s get your claim settled.