FEMA Announces Launch of Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims Review Process

FEMA Officials Encourage Those With Concerns about Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims to Call 866-337-4262

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) announced the start of Hurricane Sandy flood insurance claims review. The review is part of a broad process to reform NFIP claims and appeals procedures.       

FEMA opened the Hurricane Sandy claims review process and began mailing letters to approximately 142,000 NFIP policyholders, offering them an opportunity to have their claims from Hurricane Sandy reviewed. In the review, policyholders who have not pursued litigation or already received the maximum amount under their policy will have an opportunity to have their files reviewed. FEMA will contact policyholders and explain how to request this review.

“Flood insurance issues arising from Hurricane Sandy are of great concern to FEMA,” said Deputy Associate Administrator for Federal Insurance Brad Kieserman. “We are committed to administering a program that is survivor-centric and helps policyholders recover from flooding in a fair, transparent, and expeditious way. I encourage anyone who suspects they may have been treated unfairly to call 866-337-4262.”

Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the United States. Between 1980 and 2013, the United States suffered more than $260 billion in flood-related damages. Flood insurance is a vital service that protects communities from the most common and costly disaster we face, and those who purchase insurance must be able to count on it being there when it is needed to help rebuild their lives.

Policyholders who incurred losses from Hurricane Sandy from Oct. 27, 2012, through Nov. 6, 2012, and want their claim reviewed may contact FEMA by:

• Calling toll-free at 866-337-4262.
• Email by downloading an application online and submitting it to FEMA-sandyclaimsreview@fema.dhs.gov.
• Fax by downloading an application online and submitting it to 202-646-7970.
• For individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability using 711 or VRS, please call 1-866-337-4262.  For individuals using a TTY, please call 800-462-7585.

As FEMA reviews Hurricane Sandy claim files, the agency will also begin overhauling the claims and appeal process and improving the customer experience. FEMA’s goals are excellent customer experience, responsiveness, transparency, low risk of waste, fraud and abuse, and continuous improvement. While settling these legal matters, FEMA is instituting additional oversight of Write Your Own insurance companies to hold them accountable.

FEMA will continue to work closely with Congress and federal, state, local, tribal, and community officials to ensure policyholders are paid every dollar to which they are entitled and to improve the flood insurance program going forward.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.

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