Advice on whether to Reopen Super storm Sandy Flood Insurance Claims

Sandy-impacted homeowners still undecided about whether to reopen claims denied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), can get advice from a seminar being hosted by Stop FEMA Now this Saturday.

The homeowners advocacy group has put together a panel of flood insurance experts to answer important questions many people still have, and founder George Kasimos of Toms River said Stoop FEMA Now is encouraging residents to refile.

"There is a high probability that you were shorted, not by a couple hundred dollars or a couple thousand, tens of thousands, and in many cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars," said Kasimos.

FEMA agreed to reopen all 144,000 claims submitted to its NFIP after allegations surfaced about fraudulent engineering reports that could have resulted in homeowners receiving smaller payouts on their Sandy claims.

"A lot of people are fearful of having any more dealings with FEMA," Kasimos said. "And we want to help them and raise them up, and basically say, open up your claim. If you need help, we're here to help you."

Experts will explain several issues, according to Kasimos, including what will happen if homeowners receive additional money and whether they will be required to raise their structures, and how duplication of benefits will impact their grant money from the state's Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevate and Mitigation (RREM) program.

Saturday's seminar is being held at Noon, at the private Brick Township residence of Allan and Lauren Solomon, 144 Valencia Drive, that Kasimos said was rebuilt after Sandy. Former Brick Mayor Steve Acropolis will share his story, according to Kasimos.

In addition, Stop FEMA Now is holding a meeting to address any concerns related to the RREM program with David Reiner, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and Samuel Viavattine, Director of the Sandy Recovery Division on on Tuesday, June 30, 3:30 p.m to 4:30 p.m., at the Silverton EMS Rescue Station, 86 Maine Street, Toms River.

More information about addtional seminars scheduled in New York, can be found at stopfemanow.com.