Posted by Greg Weatherman on 10/27/04

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To anyone interested,

I am looking for anyone in central Florida who feels they
have gotten the run-around by insurance adjusters.

I have recently been working in central Florida in the
huricane ravaged areas. I have tested homes and found
unacceptable moisture content levels (0.7 Aw or higher)in
gypsum board above the 4 foot line. We have been told by
every State Farm insurance adjuster they will only cover 4
feet of wallboard removal - even though the water sat in
the house for several days to a week.

One adjuster claimed FEMA mandated the 4 foot level for
coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP). We have made calls to FEMA and found this to be a
complete fabrication. A State Farm adjuster even admitted
this fact to several witnesses when we put them on the spot
at a later date.

State Farm adjusters are saying their is no coverage for
mold even though FEMA's website says otherwise. The truly
sad part is the knowledge gained from North Carolina after
they were hit by 2 hurricanes in one year is public
knowledge. One of my partners is a former independent
ajduster. He indicates the adjusters of today are poorly
trained and told the canned response when they are dealing
with a catastrophic event like a hurricane. From what I've
seen, he is right on mark. They can't even read a simple
document for the amount of coverage for additional living
expenses (ALE).

What the homeonwers don't know is the part that is a kick
in the pants:

If an adjuster lowballs the the cost to fix covered
damages, the structure will not be done right. If the
structure is not done right, you can't sell the property.
You will now have an economic loss since you will be forced
to sell at a lower price or no sell at all.

You might buy one of these home and find it moldy. Your
insurance will not cover any pre-existing problems while
you go belly-up.

More than one resident in Port Orange FL have publically
complained at a town hall meeting about the behaviour or
State Farm and Allstate. The mayor has told the residents
to go after them for bad faith if they are lowballing the
jobs. The mayor is a general contractor and understands
the dilemna.

Even worse, their are firms who are engaging in remediation
according to their own scope of work. These firms do not
have professional insurance. Usually CGL policies do not
cover professional acts. This means a homeowner has no one
to pursue if the job is botched and the house left moldy. I
find it ironic an insurance company like State Farm allows
contractors to engage in activities that put the policy
holders in economic and/or finacial risk due to insurance
coverage issues.

Regards,

Greg Weatherman
aerobioLogical Solutions Inc.
Arlington VA 22202

gw@aerobiological.com

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