< Back
From : Lila Hayes
Sent : September 7, 2005
Subject : OFRG weekly update
Meeting
Reminder
We are looking for a host for September's
meeting. If you know someone who has completed their house, please ask if
they'd be willing to have us over for a visit! We'd love to share in
everyone's accomplishments after the past two years of trials!
---
Editor's Note
---
If you're anything like me, Hurricane Katrina is
bringing some intense feelings. In fact someone on the CFRRG Yahoo! group
said:
I have been having a tough time, sort of reliving
what it was like when our
world was changed in the course of one day...and
realizing how much worse it is
for these people, as their entire cities are
now gone.
I guess it is survivor guilt, and empathy x
1,000.
I know of at least one couple from San Bernardino
who headed down to the local Red Cross to fill out an application to
volunteer. Even though tragedies are... well tragic, they often bring out
the best in people which is what I think life is all about... it's not
about what happens to you, but what you do about it.
---
Index
1. Book Review: Top Dollar Property Claims:
Secrets to Successful Insurance Claim Settlements
2. SB477 and SB546, passed to the Governor's
Office for signing
3. Press release by Sen. Soto re:
SB477
---
On The Web
1. CARe's
website gets a new look
2. OFRG's website posts
disaster survivor tips
---
In The News
1. Models predicted New Orleans disaster,
experts say, Sep 2 2005, Reuters
2. NEW ORLEANS IS
SINKING, Sep 11 2001 , Popular
Mechanics
3. Blog offers rare glimpse inside the chaos, Sep 2 2005, CNET News.com
4. House hit by Old Fire burns again, Sep 1, 2005 , SB Sun Staff Writer
5. Fire Explorers hold
car wash to help Gulf Coast victims, Sep 4, 2005 , SB Sun
Staff Writer
6. Inland flower packs punch , Sep 2,
2005 , The Riverside Press-Enterprise
7. Why FEMA Was Missing in
Action, Sep 5, 2005, LA Times Staff Writers
8.
Insurers Step Up Pressure on Fire Risks, Sep 7, 2005, LA
Times
9. Laguna Can Relate to Gulf Coast, Sep 7,
2005 , LA Times
---
1.
Book Review: Top Dollar Property Claims: Secrets to
Successful Insurance Claim Settlements
---
Top Dollar Property Claims : Secrets to Successful
Insurance Claim Settlements
by Les Watrous
TGWB Publishing, Inc.;1998
Although this book is great for people with partial
losses, individuals with a total loss (or even a constructive total loss), might
find this book a bit lacking. However, there is some information which I
have not seen in other books such as, a good explanation of "resultant damage"
and "proximate cause" which might help people who have covered damage which they
don't know is covered. He also has lots of detail on ALE.
This book is easy to use and has an extensive list
of forms, charts and even sample letters which can help people through the
claims process. He has sound recommendations about the types of quotes and
a "scope of repair" you should get before starting repairs or turning in your
"proof of loss".
Mr. Watrous is absolutely adamant that a
restoration contractor is the best way to go. I can see his point when it
comes to hiring a specialist to clean those things which might be restored (as
in a partial loss), but he also claims it is good to use one because they will
do the work and claim the money directly from the insurance company. This
might be a good strategy for some with small partial losses, but it can also
result in headaches since this puts the insured in the middle of a financial
situation they do not need to be in.
This book seems to be heavily weighted towards the
insurance company which makes me a bit nervous about recommending it to any
insured but, if you have a partial loss, this book could be very helpful.
---
2. SB477 and SB546, passed to the Governor's
Office for signing
---
SB 477 which was introduced by Senator Soto of San
Bernardino has passed through the Senate and through the Assembly and has been
"Enrolled" and on September 1, sent to the Governor's office for
signing.
SB546 was introduced by Senator Dutton whose home
office is in Rancho Cucamonga. The bill is similar to SB477, although it
talks more about organizing "emergency preparedness" as opposed to "disaster
response."
In both cases, I would imagine that due to the
current disaster situation, that a measure such as this will have no problem
getting signed.
You can read up on SB477 by clicking HERE or:
You can read up on SB546 by clicking HERE
or:
---
3. Press release by Sen. Soto re:
SB477
---
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina,
Senator Nell Soto is urging Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign SB 477, her
bill to assist California communities
in recovering from disasters. She is also encouraging the Governor to resurrect
the Blue Ribbon Commission that was established immediately following the
state’s wildfires of 2003 – and to expand the panel’s scope to cover a broad
range of potential disasters.
SB 477 would authorize
the Office of Emergency Services (O.E.S.) to establish a process that would be
made available to assist communities in recovering from emergencies proclaimed
by the Governor. In a letter she sent to the Governor on September 2, Soto wrote
that “Katrina’s aftermath demonstrates that pre-planning for all aspects of
disaster response, including community recovery, is
essential.”
SB 477 is designed to
address community recovery after
FEMA and emergency personnel leave an affected area.
Soto’s bill authorizes O.E.S. to develop a model process on post-emergency
recovery operations, which may last until an effected community is
restored to pre-disaster conditions.
Community recovery
projects may include assistance to individuals,
families, and businesses, crisis counseling, disaster unemployment assistance,
farm service assistance, tax relief, insurance and legal services. These
services are provided through partnerships among the local, state and
federal governments, non-profit agencies, faith-based organizations,
non-governmental organizations and the private
sector.
Under SB 477, O.E.S.
could become the coordinator of the recovery process, or local agencies could
coordinate recovery, depending on the situation. Soto’s bill asks O.E.S.
representatives to be onsite as soon as practicable after an emergency or
natural disaster occurs, allow the office to coordinate the use of temporary
services, and authorizes O.E.S. to coordinate the establishment of temporary
structures (including local assistance centers, showers and bathroom facilities,
and administrative offices).
The Blue Ribbon
Commission was established in Fall 2003 by former Governor Gray Davis, in
consultation with then-incoming Governor Schwarzenegger.
In a second letter that
Soto sent to Schwarzenegger today (Wednesday), the Senator encourages the
Governor to “not only resurrect the Commission, but to also expand the panel’s
scope beyond wildfires to address the range of potential disasters that could
strike our state’s communities.
“We must do all that
we can – now – to minimize the potential loss of life and property from such
disasters,” Soto wrote.
In its original form,
the panel consisted of partners from the federal, state and local levels, and
first responders. The Commission, which was chaired by retired State Senator
William "Bill" Campbell, issued a number of recommendations for improving the
systems that were in place at the time of the fires.
“Unfortunately, few of
those recommendations have been put into practice, and it is only a matter of
time before California suffers another major wildfire, flood, earthquake or
other major calamity,” Soto says. “Hurricane Katrina highlighted numerous flaws,
exposing jurisdictional and operational barriers that may have prevented an
expeditious response – a delay that no doubt contributed to the loss of
life.”
Soto believes that the
Blue Ribbon Commission, with an expanded scope, could go a long way toward
increasing California’s preparedness to respond to the next major
disaster.
“It is important for
us to learn from our experiences, and one of the unfortunate lessons from
Katrina is that states cannot always count on the federal government for prompt
disaster response and assistance,” Soto said from her office this morning.
“Since the next calamity could strike California at any time, now is the time for Governor
Schwarzenegger to work with legislators, local officials and first responders to
ensure that our state is as prepared as possible to deal with future disasters.”
David W.
Miller
Press
Secretary
Senator Nell
Soto
State Capitol, Room
4074
Sacramento,
CA 95814
Tel: (916)
651-4751
1. CARe's website gets a new
look
Click on over to CARe's new website to see it's new
look
2. OFRG's website posts disaster survivor
tips
In light of the current disaster situation, I have
decided to revive the Survivor Tip section of our website. If you have a
tip you'd like posted, please reply to this email.
---
In The News (some
links might require free registration)
---
1. Models predicted New Orleans disaster, experts
say
02 Sep 2005 15:49:00 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Alan Elsner
WASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Virtually everything that has happened in
New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck was predicted by experts and in
computer models, so emergency management specialists wonder why authorities were
so unprepared.
--
2. NEW ORLEANS IS
SINKING
BY JIM WILSON
Published on:
September 11, 2001
Popular Mechanics
They don't bury the dead in New
Orleans. The highest point in the city is only 6 ft. above sea level, which
makes for watery graves. Fearful that rotting corpses caused epidemics, the city
limited ground burials in 1830. Mausoleums built on soggy cemetery grounds
became the final resting place for generations. Beyond providing a macabre
tourist attraction, these "cities of the dead" serve as a reminder of the Big
Easy's vulnerability to flooding. The reason water rushes into graves is because
New Orleans sits atop a delta made of unconsolidated material that has washed
down the Mississippi River.
--
3. Blog offers rare glimpse inside
the chaos
Published: September 2, 2005, 2:24
PM PDT
Six blocks from the Mississippi River, in a
27-story skyscraper on Poydras Street in New Orleans, the staff of an Internet
domain hosting service is chronicling Hurricane Katrina's chaotic aftermath with
an immediacy that remote bloggers simply can't mimic.
Armed with food, water, a diesel generator, a
camera and at least one firearm, five employees of New Orleans-based DirectNIC have been holed up since just before the storm blew in nearly
a week ago on the 10th and 11th floors of the building that houses their
headquarters.
--
4. House hit by Old Fire burns
again
SB Sun
The home was so close to
completion.
The framing was pretty
much done. The plumbing was being set. But just as all seemed to move forward,
fire once again claimed the San Bernardino home.
--
5. Fire Explorers hold car wash to help Gulf Coast
victims
09/04/2005
George Watson, SB Sun Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - Since midweek, the images televised from New Orleans
stirred up not-so-distant memories of turbulent times endured by Chris James and
his family.
Nearly two years ago, the James family lost its north San
Bernardino home to the Old Fire.
While it was devastating
to the family and hundreds of others whose homes burned to the ground in the
worst wildfire in the region's history, 19-year-old James shuddered and nearly
cried watching Hurricane Katrina rip apart communities along the Gulf
Coast.
--
6. Inland flower packs punch
FOREST: The poodle-dog bush, linked to fire and fed by winter
rains, can cause severe dermatitis.
12:00 AM PDT on Friday, September 2, 2005
By BEN GOAD / The
Press-Enterprise
A stunning but
stinky pest lurks among the cornucopia of flowers emblazoning hillsides and
meadows across the San Bernardino National Forest.
The poodle-dog
bush, a towering green plant with purple blossoms, is easy to confuse with the
vast array of harmless, colorful flowers brought by last winter's relentless
rainstorms.
--
7. Why FEMA
Was Missing in Action
Most of
the agency's preparedness budget and focus are related to terrorism, not
disasters.
By Peter G. Gosselin and Alan C. Miller, LA Times
Staff Writers
WASHINGTON — While the federal government has spent much of
the last quarter-century trimming the safety nets it provides Americans, it has
dramatically expanded its promise of protection in one area —
disaster.
Since the 1970s, Washington has emerged as the insurer of last
resort against floods, fires, earthquakes and — after 2001 — terrorist
attacks.
--
8. Insurers Step Up Pressure on Fire
Risks
Firms are
starting to deny new policies and stop renewing others if they don't see efforts
by owners to prevent damage to their homes.
September 7,
2005
LA Times
BOULDER, Colo. —
Brett Gibson, a volunteer fire department chief in the tree-covered hills west
of Boulder, has been having difficulty getting residents to do some of the work
that would ease risks during Colorado's fire season.
But he is getting
some help from a persuasive source: insurance companies, which are starting to
inspect properties to see whether owners are using fire-resistant landscaping
and taking other precautions to mitigate the fire threat. Insurers are starting
to deny new policies and stop renewing others if they don't see an effort — such
as cutting down nearby trees and brush to create "defensible space" between
forest and home, and safely storing firewood and combustible chemicals.
--
9. Laguna Can Relate to Gulf Coast
Dana Parsons
September 7, 2005
LA Times
With bodies floating down the streets in New Orleans, it's
not the best timing to ask whether Laguna Beach got the shaft in being turned
down for federal relief for the June landslide that claimed 20 homes in Bluebird
Canyon.
It may be more on point, in fact, to ask whether there's
any point in the city appealing the rejection, given that Hurricane Katrina no
doubt will dominate federal relief efforts for the foreseeable future and
require billions of dollars.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------