One Year After Sandy

[JackK]

So, its one year after Sandy came through and did her worst. Some of us lost a llittle, some lost a lot, and some lost everything. But all of us learned something.

Could we share some experiences pertaining to the the recovery i.e. dealing with insurance, repairs, government, tradespeople, etc? Hopefully, it all makes us stronger in the end.

My story goes like this;

I had closed on my O'Day 272 at Ocean Gate [NJ] Marina 10 days before the storm hit. We couldn't pull her from the slip in time so, with the help of marina staff [including the owners son-in-law], we put on extra sping lines, pulled the boom, lashed the jib to the furler and hoped for the best. Either that marina sits on hallowed ground, or the owners and staff really know what they are doing, but, to my knowledge, they didn't lose one boat. I didn't have as much as a scratch on the hull. I know my story is unique, but if we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of what happened, maybe we can all benefit.

 

[jimmcgee]

We were VERY lucky. We hauled at Silver Cloud up Forked River on the Barnegat. The upper end of the river is considered a hurricane hole.

We pulled the canvas and sails, taped around the hatches with blue painters tape and covered and taped the dorades with heavy plastic bags pulled down tight. Down below all the cushions went up onto the salon table and a plastic bag covered the TV in case the hatch above leaked. The batteries were fully charged in case the bilge pumps were needed.

At the suggestion of the marina we lashed the boom so it couldn't oscillate in the high winds. She came through without a drop of water below.

The time spent prepping her, and moving her to a safer location was well worth it. Other boats and marinas on the river didn't fare as well. Most of us know people who lost boats or homes. We were very lucky.

 

[Simplicity1145]

Cedar Creek Marina hauled and loaded my 22 Capri on my trailer just before the storm shut everything down. Safe in my driveway, I suffered no damage to my boat or the house, but my luck ended there. A rental house I have on the bay was trashed. My neighbors hot tub floated off his deck and smashed through my patio door allowing the house to fill with everything the bay had to offer. The 3 1/2' of water was nothing compared to the 2 inches of muck under 12" of seaweed. We found crab traps, fish, dock parts, you name it in the house. I'm currently in the process of taking the house down and hoping to have a modular up by the summer. All things considered, no one was hurt and everything lost could be replaced, so we feel blessed for that.

 

[lehighsail]

Hinckley Marina, just at the foot of the Mantoloking Bridge in Brick was extremely hard hit and has closed their doors and left town. They hauled as many boats as they could before the storm hit, but left some slip owners in the water. No extra lines, no removal of canvas or anything else for their own renters. They did seem to pull many transients who over their slip renters. That being said almost all boats were damaged no matter.

It is a shame that the marina will be closed because although management could definitely have been better, the yard staff was great. They were terrific at their jobs, customer service and always helpful. I wish them the best and good luck.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The recent fire at the Seaside Park boardwalk illustrates why it is necessary to replace all electrical wiring and boxes that were submerged by salt-water flooding. Some towns were better than others for enforcing that necessary action. Many people mistakenly believed that the wiring was fine when they turned on the lights after drying out even if the wiring and outlets were totally submerged during the flood.

The reality is that the wiring can be like a ticking time bomb if there was any tiny, undetectable defect in the insulation. The salt reacts with the current and gradually degrades the insulation. I visited many homes that were flooded and people were busy ripping out the sheet rock, drying out and replacing it as fast as they could. In most towns, the Building Department would red tag the electrical box and/or remove meters until a certification was obtained from a licensed electrician that the wiring was above the flood or replaced. In some towns, they were much more lax. I told numerous people that they should replace all the wiring (where it was evident that it was below the flood level) before replacing the drywall, even though many had already closed it up. They didn't want to hear it at the time. These were people in multimillion dollar properties along the Hudson River in Hudson County. I didn't have a lot of sympathy for many ... they left their Bentley's, Benzes, BMW's, Audis, etc ... in their garages to be totaled in the flooding. I didn't hear that any of them had any problems with their insurance companies when it came to making their claims. The luxury car market in NJ had a bonanza as a result of the storm, it seems. I often wonder what percentage of the supposed monetary damage was from the luxury cars that were left in the garages throughout Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, etc. Building after building, filled with underground parking for Beamers, Benzes and Range Rovers were flooded. In Sea Bright, I visited one fellow who left 2 $100,000 Benzes in his garage which had to be towed away by his insurance company. He couldn't be bothered to move the cars he parks at his second home even though Sea Bright floods at the drop of a hat.

Only the people who lost their primary residences seem to be having problems with insurance. I'm sympathetic to those who lost much of everything they had, but I think this storm affected a hell of a lot of people who have money to burn. It was no Katrina, that's for sure.

http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2...sed_by_electrical_problems_official_says.html

 

[richk]

after Sandy: Changes and Choices

http://www.climate.gov/news-features/videos/after-sandy-changes-and-choices

 

[CalebD]

My old boat spent Hurricane Sandy on her mooring in the Hudson River just north of the Tappan Zee Bridge, 25 nm. north of The Battery. There were about 100 boats at moorings in our "special anchorage" of which about 20 were lost. Some of the boats that hauled locally fared worse when the 10+ feet of storm surge swelled up the river and knocked them off their stands.
I also saw plenty of Porches and other upscale trophy cars towed out of flooded underground garages a few blocks from the river in downtown Manhattan where I live. I wonder why they are still building underground garages in a potential flood zone.
The waterfront and our clubhouse were badly damaged by the sustained 70 knot winds & waves. Much has been done to restore the club and grounds.
As a result of the catastrophic loss in our mooring field new guidelines were developed for mooring tackle. Heavier chain was part of the required upgrade as well as stronger pennants etc. Chinese or unknown made mushrooms are no longer acceptable as the dor-mor pyramid anchor is preferred. Another change allows leaving an "inspected" mooring to stay in the water for 3 seasons continuously; instead of hauling out the mooring every year. Winter sticks are a new thing for some of us (me).
I am happy that our club took a proactive stance on this issue. There were plenty of boats that were damaged by other boats that started dragging their mooring tackle.

All things being equal we made out pretty well through Sandy at home in our NYC apartment. We lost power, phone, cable for 5 days but had cooking gas & water which was nothing compared to many other low lying areas (Jersey Shore, Long Beach, Rockaways, Staten Island...) had to put up with.

The picture below is the tidal graph of NY Harbor the night Sandy rolled on in...

 

[troutman]

We all pay insurance based on coverage and risk. The insurance companies have adjusters to evaluate your claim, these people make mistakes from time to time. It is wise to hire your own adjuster to be certain that your lose is adequately covered. You are entitled to the full amount of your lose including things that may not have occurred to you. I am not a adjuster, but I have used one and it was one less thing I had to worry about. I would have settled for half of what the adjuster negotiated for me.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

We all pay insurance based on coverage and risk. The insurance companies have adjusters to evaluate your claim, these people make mistakes from time to time. It is wise to hire your own adjuster to be certain that your lose is adequately covered. You are entitled to the full amount of your lose including things that may not have occurred to you. I am not a adjuster, but I have used one and it was one less thing I had to worry about. I would have settled for half of what the adjuster negotiated for me.

be very careful hiring your own adjuster.

usually they want 10% (or more), of the TOTAL claim. not the increase over what the insurance company already has agreed to.

and don't settle if you aren't happy with the payout.

I know a few people that didn't read the contract and got hosed...

 

[troutman]

Yes, you are right about the 10% commission. If your adjuster is lazy you will come out with less money than you would have without an adjuster. I have friends that have worked for the insurance companies and those that work for the consumers and they both agree that you will get far more money with a good independent adjuster than handling the claim yourself. Of course I live in the second most corrupt county in Illinois (Saint Clair) and it would be in the top ten in the country so having a strong advocate is a big advantage. My adjuster had tables to figure the highest prices for virtually everything I lost, I did not have to provide receipts or argue about this or that. When you have experienced a loss the last thing you want to do is be stressed further so for me this was a big advantage and a good lesson. When I see people on TV who are having trouble with their claims from Sandy I would bet those people do not have such an advocate and may end up settling their claims for less than they should.