Your job is to help alleviate the suffering of the victims of natural disasters and help them get their lives back to normal as quickly and easily as possible. You have limited amounts of money and other resources to accomplish these tasks. There are always more needs than you have the resources to meet. Every additional dollar that can be made available to the victims from their own resources frees up one more dollar for you to assist others who need it.

Most disaster relief agencies either require or, at least, would like to be sure that disaster victims have exhausted all available benefits from insurance or other responsible parties before they draw upon the limited resources of the agency. The agencies understand that every dollar of owed, but unpaid, by other responsible parties or in insurance benefits to disaster victims increases the demand on the agency's limited financial resources.

It is essential, in order to lessen the seriousness, strength and severity of the disaster, to limit the demand on privately funded disaster relief agencies, and to limit the financial and emotional strains on the victims, that every asset and benefit directly available to the victims is brought into play first. The major source of such underused assets and benefits is found through other responsible parties or in insurance that was purchased, but the full benefits of which are not being paid to consumers.

There is a growing body of evidence that this major method of mitigating the effects of disaster on many of the victims is not being fully utilized.

In small disasters millions of dollars, and in major disasters billions of dollars, that should be available to the victims to mitigate the effects of their losses, do not get paid. The sums not paid may exceed the amount of all the public and private assistance that is provided. The bottom line is that the failure to receive these funds causes untold additional hardships and suffering to many thousands of victims each year. It also places unnecessary demands on:.

1. The tax payer, through additional costs to FEMA, SBA, and other tax payer supported public disaster relief agencies.
2. Privately funded disaster relief agencies.

The problem is that telling the victims to get all the benefits to which they are entitled and getting the other responsible parties or insurance companies to pay what they owe are two very different things.

Some elements of a solution to this major mitigation problem, which cost little and can be implemented almost immediately, are as follows:

1. Create a packet of information regarding the steps that a consumer ought to take after a disaster occurs in order to obtain the maximum benefits that may be available to them , by other responsible parties or under any applicable insurance (such a packet can be put together easily with the assistance of such non-profit agencies as those listed below).
2. Include a listing of all non-profit agencies (e.g. United Policyholders and Community Assisting Recovery [CARe] ) which specialize in assisting consumers with these matters.
3. Include a listing of all governmental agencies which may be able to assist them (e.g. their State Department of Insurance).
4. Include a description of the kinds of professionals who may be able to assist them in obtaining these benefits (e.g. Public Insurance Adjusters and attorneys) and how they may be contacted and screened.
5. Have all public and private disaster relief agencies, and state and local government agencies which deal with disaster victims (e.g. building and planning departments, redevelopment agencies, housing agencies, etc.) distribute these information packets to each disaster victim, emphasizing to each victim the importance of being certain that they are getting these private benefits, which already belong to them, before or in addition to seeking assistance from disaster relief agencies.

Most people will feel much better getting back on their feet with the proceeds from the other responsible parties or in insurance, for which they already paid and were prudent enough to choose to purchase, than with charitable assistance, no matter how freely given. This is even more the case when the victims receive assistance, in the form of loans, which they will be burdened with repaying for years to come. The resources these victims don't need can be used in assisting the many others who really need it.

These steps can be implemented easily and immediately. They can be used to mitigate the effects of disasters which have already occurred (e.g. the California earthquakes [beginning in January 1994 and continuing], floods and fires, the hurricanes in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carribean, etc.), and every future disaster. These simple, inexpensive steps can result in billions of additional dollars being made available to alleviate the effects of these disasters and relieve the suffering of their victims.

[ Real Property ] [ Consulting Services ] [ Owners ] [ Managers ] [ Realtors ]
[ Contractors ] [ Soil Engineers ] [ Inspectors ] [ Building Designers ] [ Appraisers ]
[ Structural Engineers ] [ Architects ] [ Lenders ] [ CPAs/Tax Preparers ] [ Public Relief ]
[ Friends & Families of Disaster Victims ] [ Photo Gallery ] [ Insurance ] [ Property Insurance Services ]
[ Public Insurance Adjusters ] [ Attorneys ] [ Other Professionals ] [ Healthcare ]
[ HMO/Health Insurer Honesty & Accountibility Act ] [ California Senate Bill 1283 ]
[ California Consumer Health Care Council ] [ The Law ] [ Laws & Regulations ] [ Proposed Legislation ]
[ Links To Other Resources ] [ About Us ]