FEMA should grant extensions for flood proofs of loss as we asked in a letter to Deputy Associate Administrator Roy E. Wright and Administrator Brock Long:

My father was a former Coast Guard Admiral for the United States Coast Guard and I grew up along our Country’s coastline. I have seen the devastation and the destructive force hurricanes and floods have done to our communities.

I am writing on behalf of friends and loved ones following the Hurricane Harvey catastrophe. The purpose of this letter is to reduce and eliminate the emotional shock and the mental anticipation that something worse is about to happen following something that is indescribable which has already occurred.

Through my father’s stories of rescue, stories of others who have worked with him, and through my own experiences, I have seen that leaders can have a significant impact upon the lives of others by not only saying words that they understand but through their
actions. True leaders can empathize with their communities.

I am asking you to consider our brothers and sisters in Louisiana and Texas, who are currently experiencing disasters of nature that few of us have ever undergone. Please provide them an exception to the laws to help alleviate the emotional concerns as well as the practical concerns that everyone is experiencing now.

As such, I would strongly suggest that the federal government show solidarity with those in Louisiana and Texas, as well as those elsewhere that may suffer from the storm, by providing an extension of the current deadlines to file flood proofs of loss and other technical requirement forms until January 1, 2019.

Unfortunately, I have been involved with many disasters since 1982. I have seen and come to appreciate how there is additional stress added to those who have been faced with immediate deadlines regarding paperwork rather than taking the time to understand the true circumstances following the catastrophe.

I pray that the current administration, you, and others in government, will consider the plight of individual Americans from their homes and make accommodations of law which reflect the desire of those in power to provide good will and practical concerns to our citizens. The obligatory deadline to file the proofs of loss should be waived in a gesture of our government to appreciate the current situation and what many citizens are experiencing at this moment.

I am hopeful that you will consider this request and help those that need it most. Please consider this request immediately for an initial extension of proofs of loss until January 1, 2019.

Regardless if this happens, file your claim right away. Follow our blogs with tips about what and how to file your claims.

Thought For The Day

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
—Anne Frank