I was going to post this elsewhere, but I think it's a good topic of its own.
Lots of folks bash FEMA, from both sides. Two days ago Trump hosted a photo op and let people rag on FEMA and insurance. He made noises about getting rid of it. How would you guys fix FEMA?
Before you say just let states do it, North Carolina for example doesn't have the resources to deal with a disaster of that magnitude. Neither does Florida. Neither do we in Texas.
Part of the issue is the whole flood insurance thing - people don't understand it, don't understand what it does and does not cover. And people get pissed because their regular insurance does not cover flood damage. And they also don't understand that when there is a major disaster, it takes TIME. It takes time to get adjusters there. It takes time for them to assess damage, to get their estimates back to be reviewed, and it takes time for the review. If they need any additional information, such as getting an engineer (what we do), it takes more time.
Hurricane Helene damaged 73,000 buildings in North Carolina, and 70,000 in Florida. Hurricane Milton damaged about 15,000 more in Florida. That's 160,000 buildings damaged in two weeks. Every one of them needs an adjuster. We think that about 6,000 to 8,000 of these buildings need a structural engineer.
None of that happens overnight. There isn't the manpower. None staffs adjusters for few years doing nothing until a storm event like this happens. You couldn't afford the premiums. So there are not enough adjusters to get to all of them right away. There also are not enough engineers. It just takes time, a lot of it. Then people get mad because the insurance company did not just give them everything they ask for. I see it every day. You see a damaged foundation, and they swear up and down it was fine....except that whole issue of about 20 different previously repaired cracks in it.
Or they complain because they have a house on stilts, they fill in the lower level, and then are surprised when the flood insurance doesn't cover anything below the stilts.
Just a rant here, but how WOULD y'all fix it?
Lots of folks bash FEMA, from both sides. Two days ago Trump hosted a photo op and let people rag on FEMA and insurance. He made noises about getting rid of it. How would you guys fix FEMA?
Before you say just let states do it, North Carolina for example doesn't have the resources to deal with a disaster of that magnitude. Neither does Florida. Neither do we in Texas.
Part of the issue is the whole flood insurance thing - people don't understand it, don't understand what it does and does not cover. And people get pissed because their regular insurance does not cover flood damage. And they also don't understand that when there is a major disaster, it takes TIME. It takes time to get adjusters there. It takes time for them to assess damage, to get their estimates back to be reviewed, and it takes time for the review. If they need any additional information, such as getting an engineer (what we do), it takes more time.
Hurricane Helene damaged 73,000 buildings in North Carolina, and 70,000 in Florida. Hurricane Milton damaged about 15,000 more in Florida. That's 160,000 buildings damaged in two weeks. Every one of them needs an adjuster. We think that about 6,000 to 8,000 of these buildings need a structural engineer.
None of that happens overnight. There isn't the manpower. None staffs adjusters for few years doing nothing until a storm event like this happens. You couldn't afford the premiums. So there are not enough adjusters to get to all of them right away. There also are not enough engineers. It just takes time, a lot of it. Then people get mad because the insurance company did not just give them everything they ask for. I see it every day. You see a damaged foundation, and they swear up and down it was fine....except that whole issue of about 20 different previously repaired cracks in it.
Or they complain because they have a house on stilts, they fill in the lower level, and then are surprised when the flood insurance doesn't cover anything below the stilts.
Just a rant here, but how WOULD y'all fix it?
