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Hits of the Day
What You Can Do For Your Fellow Americans on the Gulf Coast
by wws 8/31/2008 - 7:51 pm
As dire as the consequences were for stunned Gulf coast residents in the aftermath of Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, they are going to be worse, this time, after Hurricane Gustav.
That is because the insurance companies who were so criminally negligent to their policy holders after those two storms -- withholding even a percentage of payout for well over a year -- have gone one step further in distancing themselves from liability in the interim. To wit:
Many property owners who succumbed to the pressure from their mortgage companies to pay off their mortgages in full with their eventual insurance payout -- and who were then forced to pay for costly repairs themselves -- discovered, after the fact, that they could no longer get insurance at all, or could only secure it at policy prices that literally boggle the mind.
These properties, that already represented a glut in a down market by virtue of their numbers, are now complete white elephants -- unsellable, however well restored, because no one wants to buy a house that cannot be insured or that is too expensive to insure. This means that thousands and thousands of property owners -- who have fought the good fight for three and four years respectively -- are about to lose everything without hope of recompense. They will then become dependent on extended relatives or will be forced to join the nomadic population of displaced persons who were not property owners to begin with, who have been living in toxin-filled FEMA trailers -- people who have nowhere to go because they have no money with which to get there and start over.
To offer these people a better alternative requires the participation of all of us. In the wake of Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, I bombarded the cable network and print MSM with emails, letters and phone calls exhorting them to follow-up on insurance and government malfeasance in the hope that it would shame these agencies into paying up. No one responded. No coverage was forthcoming. The attitude of the MSM is that the weather event is the compelling story, as is looting and mayhem in the immediate aftermath, but no one is interested in a "dull" or depressing story about insurance or long-term relocation recovery.
Therefore, if you want to help the good people of the Gulf coast who are being hit again, please:
1) donate to the Red Cross now because the Red Cross, as an organziation, has been more responsible than FEMA about offering immediate meaningful assistance; and
2) set aside as much money as you can to donate, a few weeks from now, to permanent relocation relief funds -- a far greater need for hurricane victims than a temporary camp cot in a shelter, or a voucher for a hotel.
I don't know, at this moment, if you can find a legitimate, known entity relief fund set up for long-term relocation. But if none appear in the next few days, then please participate in starting one under the auspices of TPM or, better, the Obama campaign.
This will have to taken on by someone with more free time than I have, this week and next. So I am asking for volunteer to set this in motion. Someone, please volunteer, because this is the pivotal help that is really needed that constitutes make or break assistance.
Thank you.
That is because the insurance companies who were so criminally negligent to their policy holders after those two storms -- withholding even a percentage of payout for well over a year -- have gone one step further in distancing themselves from liability in the interim. To wit:
Many property owners who succumbed to the pressure from their mortgage companies to pay off their mortgages in full with their eventual insurance payout -- and who were then forced to pay for costly repairs themselves -- discovered, after the fact, that they could no longer get insurance at all, or could only secure it at policy prices that literally boggle the mind.
These properties, that already represented a glut in a down market by virtue of their numbers, are now complete white elephants -- unsellable, however well restored, because no one wants to buy a house that cannot be insured or that is too expensive to insure. This means that thousands and thousands of property owners -- who have fought the good fight for three and four years respectively -- are about to lose everything without hope of recompense. They will then become dependent on extended relatives or will be forced to join the nomadic population of displaced persons who were not property owners to begin with, who have been living in toxin-filled FEMA trailers -- people who have nowhere to go because they have no money with which to get there and start over.
To offer these people a better alternative requires the participation of all of us. In the wake of Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, I bombarded the cable network and print MSM with emails, letters and phone calls exhorting them to follow-up on insurance and government malfeasance in the hope that it would shame these agencies into paying up. No one responded. No coverage was forthcoming. The attitude of the MSM is that the weather event is the compelling story, as is looting and mayhem in the immediate aftermath, but no one is interested in a "dull" or depressing story about insurance or long-term relocation recovery.
Therefore, if you want to help the good people of the Gulf coast who are being hit again, please:
1) donate to the Red Cross now because the Red Cross, as an organziation, has been more responsible than FEMA about offering immediate meaningful assistance; and
2) set aside as much money as you can to donate, a few weeks from now, to permanent relocation relief funds -- a far greater need for hurricane victims than a temporary camp cot in a shelter, or a voucher for a hotel.
I don't know, at this moment, if you can find a legitimate, known entity relief fund set up for long-term relocation. But if none appear in the next few days, then please participate in starting one under the auspices of TPM or, better, the Obama campaign.
This will have to taken on by someone with more free time than I have, this week and next. So I am asking for volunteer to set this in motion. Someone, please volunteer, because this is the pivotal help that is really needed that constitutes make or break assistance.
Thank you.
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Thanks so much for posting this. I will donate to Red Cross.
Unfortunately, this next two months is my busiest time and prevents me from doing much more right now.
Strongly rec'd and urge all to join in donating to Red Cross. I just heard that Obama, et al. will most likely be setting up such a relief forum as you discussed.
'til later.
Thanks ww. That was eloquently written. I've been checking with NOAA all day. I have relatives in Florida which, luckily for me, seems pretty safe. I have nothing but empathy for those it Gustav's path.
This is far more of an important issue than Pretty Palin and her extremist rainbow moose. It makes me angry that McCain and his joke of a running mate are down there taking away valuable time and resources from the officials down there.
If I knew how to set that fund up, I would, but I'll look out for one, and post it here, or on (hopefully) a new thread.
Rec'd Hugely.
Hey there. Are you doing all right?
Msa3:
Thanks for asking. Other than the odd flashback, I'm fine, because my son is out of all but the periperal bands of the cone.
Therefore, I am thankful that this one does not affect me or those I love. But it is about human nature, and the natural tendency of all of us to discount, or ignore, major disasters so long as they do not affect us personally.
I am, however, stressed that when I know what's coming, and I am motivated to offer knowledgable help after the storm, I am, instead, beholden to my current 24/7 employer -- for whom I must be grateful because he represents my own relocation solution.
Rec'd. You kind of put things in perspective, didn't you?
Rec'd. She DID put things in perspectives. I will donate to Mercy Corps (a Portland organization of disaster relief physicians).
Thanks, Aunt Sam. Music to my ears if the Obama campaign is on this long-term relocation issue. And thank you, personally, for donating to the Red Cross.
Thank you, Bwakfat. Your offer to post any relevant links for long-term relocation funds is greatly appreciated. One or two links can truly make the difference in people's lives between a hopeful, if chastened, future and one that is a downward spiral.
Thanks, Ripper. You've written some particularly insightful posts in the past few days and I'm sorry that I have not had time to say so. So I'm saying so now. Bravo.
Thank you, Lux! Great choice. The number of injuries and infections from the initial clean-up process are often overlooked.
Do you have a poem about spiritual or emotional anchors?
Yes, I gave substantially (for me at least) to them at the time of the E Asian tsunami of 04 (?) and their hq is not that far from where I live in Portland.
Not off the top of my head..on the poems, but Mary Oliver wrote a book when her long time partner died and I imagine there is something in there..I will look on my shelfs....
You doin' okay? If you need a little comfort...here's a hug from me to you.
http://www.mayyoubeblessedmovie.com/
Heads up:
Don't be misled by what category the storm is. A Category 2, or 3 can be devastating; the slower it moves the more time it has to wreak havoc.
And then there is the storm surge, which does the real damage:
http://video.ap.org/v/Default.aspx?partner
This video could have been modeled on what happened to my house in 2004.
If you are having trouble loading the video it can be found through the Miami Herald storm coverage section and is marked "Storm Surge." It's worth the trouble to watch it.
Thank you for the comfort video, Still. But the people who really need it are the evacuees, waiting to find out how much damage is happening. So I wish it could be sent to all the evacuees, but they are, for the most part, now probably offline, which is part of the immediate disruption to their lives.
I just won a small poker tournament last night. $1200 for first place. Now I'm sending $600 to the Red Cross.
Damn it, wvstaebler...reading your posts is freaking expensive. :-)
Thank you for reminding all of us what really matters. Highly rec'd.
ww,
Thanks so much for giving us an understanding of what life is really like for our Gulf coast citizens after the drama of the storm is over.
I'm going to look around and see if there are any organizations already established that focus on permanent relocation relief. If I find anything, I'll post it.
Look at you, eastside!!! Way to go! :-)
Great post. Thanks for bringing this place back to reality. Gave what I could this morning to Red Cross when I got Obama's email asking for donations. Will take your advice and donate more in a couple weeks when the permanent relief funds go into action.
Eastside93:
I am stunned, and truly humbled by your generosity. THANK YOU -- personally from me, and on behalf of the people you will have helped.
Eastside93: You are incredible! I am truly humbled by your generosity. THANK YOU, from me personally and on behalf of the many people you have helped.