Last call: Sept. 15 cutoff to reopen Sandy claims

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Officials from the federal, state and local governments met in Long Beach on Monday to urge Hurricane Sandy victims to have their insurance claims reviewed if they suspect they were underpaid after the storm. 

In May, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that it would reopen all 144,000 Sandy-related insurance claims following widespread allegations that engineering reports were doctored and homeowners were underpaid. The deadline to have a claim reviewed is Sept. 15, and it is not expected to be extended. 

Roy E. Wright, the recently appointed director of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program and the agency’s deputy associate administrator for insurance and mitigation, was in Long Beach on Monday, along with U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice, State Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky, County Legislator Denise Ford and city officials, meeting with homeowners and stressing the importance of having claims reopened.

“We should have got this right the first time,” Wright acknowledged. “It is very clear that there were errors. There were too many errors made. And it is our job to set those right, and more importantly, make sure that will never happen again.”

Wright emphasized that the September deadline is merely for beginning the process, and that homeowners are free to opt out of it at any time once a review has begun. They do not need legal representation to go through the process, he added, and it is designed so they can do it on their own. 

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