Filing with FEMA? Help Is at Hand

A local law firm is offering help for homeowners hoping to reopen their Sandy-related flood insurance claims with FEMA.

The agency agreed to reopen thousands of disputed Sandy claims after a review showed many homeowners had been underpaid or improperly denied.  But Brian Wilton with the Middletown-based Wilton Pandit Law Firm says, for many people, one more round of paperwork can seem like one too many.

"They're giving up, there's this shell shock that they have from dealing with the hurricane itself and then dealing with the claims process in the years after," Wilton said.  "People were just wiped out by it."

Wilton Pandit attorneys will be on hand at a series of town hall meetings in August to answer questions about the review process.  As for Wilton himself -- he started helping Sandy survivors right after the storm struck as a member of the Belmar Water Rescue team.

"Myself and my unit spent a good week, you know, evacuating and rescuing the residents of the Belmar-Lake Como area," Wilton said.  "I think the final count, we had about 200 people that we'd gotten out."

The deadline to request a review is September 15, 2015.

Town Hall Meeting Schedule

August 13, 2015

Union Beach Firehouse, 1108 Union Avenue

August 15, 2015

Point Pleasant Firehouse, 1206 Beaver Dam Road

Registration is not required, but space is limited.  For more information, click here.