Letter to William B. Long, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - Pallone Presses New FEMA Administrator to Act Swiftly on Sandy Claims
Letter
Dear Administrator Long:
I write raise your attention to a longstanding problem facing my constituents. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has moved at a snail's pace in resolving flood insurance claims from Superstorm Sandy, and the people of New Jersey cannot afford to wait any longer. I ask that you work to resolve the Sandy claims review process as quickly and efficiently as possible. I respectfully request a meeting with you to discuss this issue at your earliest convenience.
Superstorm Sandy struck the East Coast of the United States in 2012, causing enormous economic damage and loss of life. New Jersey was hit particularly hard, with some communities in my Congressional district among the most heavily damaged. Many Sandy victims had flood insurance, which should have helped support a quick recovery from the damage. However, many policyholders were underpaid, some severely, and allegations of fraud and incompetence have been leveled at FEMA's handling of payouts.
In 2015, I helped lead my Congressional colleagues in demanding that FEMA open a flood insurance claims review process, so that policy holders who believed that they had been underpaid after Sandy would have the opportunity to appeal. While this process should have helped expedite the claims process, it has become an object of scorn and exasperation for victims who have been bogged down in a never ending administrative process with no end in sight.
Completing the claims process quickly has long been a top priority for me. I spoke with Roy Wright, Deputy Associate Administrator for Insurance and Mitigation, in May 2016 and he assured me that the agency was making substantive progress and would have fully processed all claims by the end of that summer. As of FEMA's most recent status report in mid-June, 17 percent of claims remain open. Sandy victims deserve much better than what FEMA has given them.
As you begin your tenure as FEMA Administrator, you will need to balance competing priorities and concerns. Wrapping up the Sandy claims review process should be at the top of your list. I look forward to working with you on this important issue.
Sincerely,
FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Member of Congress
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