[StBernard] New You Can Use - 10/15/05

[Westley Annis]

October 15, 2005

 

 

Good day to everyone.

 

It has been 8 days since I published a “News You Can Use.”  I apologize for
the delay, but I have been extremely busy on personal matters. I have spent
the past few days in Chalmette, taking care of my house.

 

Thanks to the help of some volunteers from Oregon and in particular, thanks
to the help of a dear friend named Hector Perez (no relationship), I have
been able to clear the mud out of my house.  Next week, we hope to knock out
our sheetrock, giving the frame of our house a chance to “breathe”.  We
don’t know if this is wasted energy or not.  We could very well learn in the
next month that out house needs to be demolished.  Either way, we felt it
important to at least give ourselves at least the option of re-building
should the decision come down that way.  In addition to this, we feel it’s
somewhat therapeutic to be working on rebuilding our homes to what they once
were.

 

10:30 Mass tomorrow in Chalmette

 

There will be a mass tomorrow morning at 10:30 on the corner of Judge Perez
Drive and Paris Road.  Archbishop Hughes will officiate.  If at all
possible, you should attend this mass.

 

Many of you know that I traveled to New York in October of 2001 to help them
clean up after the World Trade Center attacks.  I worked at a Red Cross
respite center located inside of the fence that surrounded “ground zero”.
St. Peter’s Catholic Church is located about 1 ½ blocks from “ground zero”.
The day I was there, St. Peter’s had their first mass after 9/11.  I was
there. There were about 15 people in the church, they were all survivors of
the attack.  A couple of policemen and firemen were also there.  It was by
far, the most awesome, special, emotional mass I have ever attended.

 

I’ve been a practicing catholic all of my life.  I regularly attend Sunday
mass.  I say the prayers, or should I say I recite the prayers.

 

On that day in October 2001, for the first time I can remember, I didn’t
recite the prayers; I prayed the prayers.

 

Standing up among the policemen, firemen, and survivors of 9/11 and praying
the Creed which begins with the words “I believe in God, the Father
almighty, Creator of dhb

heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen” is a moment I will never
forget.  For the first time, those words meant something.  They weren’t just
words any more.  They were a testament to my faith. Today, I pray those
words at every mass, and I think about what they mean.

 

I fully expect that the mass tomorrow will be filled with moments like that
for everyone who attends.  I can’t think of a more beautiful moment, than to
be standing among my neighbors and friends as we publicly testify to the
strength of our faith.  If ever you wanted to make a statement about the
fortitude of the people of St. Bernard, tomorrow will be a once in a
lifetime opportunity to do so. I hope to see you there.

 

 

Job Fair

 

I realize I’m late on this, but today and tomorrow there will be a job fair
for St. Bernard residents across from the old Kaiser stack near the entrance
to the St. Bernard Port in Chalmette, from 8:00am to 4:00pm. The event is
for residents who are looking for jobs, and for businesses that want to find
employees such as electricians, plumbers, mechanics, heavy-equipment
operators, carpenters, roofers, welders, and general contractors.

 

 

Insurance Matters - again

 

http://www.gtlaw.com/pub/alerts/2005/1004.asp is the web address of a
summary of insurance issues that most certainly will arise from Katrina and
Rita related issues.

 

It’s written by the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, a firm with locations
around the country. I found it interesting and thought you may as well.

 

 

While in Chalmette, I noticed an adjuster from a nationally recognized “good
neighbor” type insurance company doing inspections on many of my neighbor’s
roofs to handle their homeowner’s claims.   I asked him if he wanted to go
inside any of the houses and he said no.

 

This is exactly what happened with the homeowner’s insurance inspection of
my house. I was notified that my home had been inspected and that I should
be hearing from them shortly.  I then inquired if the adjuster had been
inside.  They said no.    I informed them that they needed to do that and
met them at my house this past Wednesday.

 

The adjuster showed up in tennis shoes, khaki pants and a polo type shirt.
At the time my house had 8 inches of mud in it.  I asked if he had boots –
he said no.  I asked if he had a flashlight – he said know.  I supplied him
with a pair of rubber boots and a flashlight.

 

When you meet with your adjuster, be prepared. Be very prepared.  Read your
policy carefully and make sure you understand it.   Point out what you find
to them.  I only tell you this as my adjuster was obviously not prepared to
do a thorough inspection of the house, given that he didn’t even have boots
or a flashlight.

 

I spoke to the adjuster yesterday morning about my homeowner’s claim.  He
had totaled up the expected cost to repair my upstairs and roof and wanted
to let me know the figure.  I then inquired about what I needed to do in
order to receive benefits under the additional Living Expense  (ALE) clause
of my policy.  This is the clause in my policy that pays me for the
additional expenses I incur while I can’t live in my house.

 

He said the managers were telling him they may be able to give me some
“partial” benefits under this clause, but since most of the cause of my
house being unlivable was the flood, I was not entitled to the full
benefits.   He said assuming no flood damage and only the wind damage, my
home would be mostly inhabitable.  

 

I suggested that if this were the case, then perhaps his manager would like
to spend a few days in my upstairs and let me know just how livable it was.
There’s no water, no electricity and no sewerage.  None of those losses are
a result of the flood.  I also told him I was not budging on this issue,
that my policy says I’m entitled to benefits. There’s no language in the
policy about “partial” benefits.

 

He called me back that afternoon and told me they’ve agreed to pay me full
benefits under the ALE clause of my contract, until a time that my roof and
upstairs damage is repaired.  That’s fair. 

 

I relate this to you so you see what you might be dealing with.  Once again,
be prepared.   If you do not feel you are capable of interpreting and
understanding your policy, you should consider hiring an independent
adjuster who would work for you vs. someone who works for the insurance
company.  I have no idea how much or even how an independent adjuster costs,
but perhaps you should consider using one.

 

FEMA Trailers

 

CityBusiness newspaper ran a story this past week concerning the FEMA
trailer program as it relates to businesses and their employees. It seems
that the on again, off again program of FEMA providing trailers to house
employees for businesses is on again.  I wish I could get more clarity on
this issue.  However, I have searched both the Louisiana Department of
Economic Development and FEMA web sites and can not find any mention of the
program.

 

If you are an employer looking for trailers to house your employees, I
suggest you contact the LA Department of Economic Development at (866)
310-7617  or  (225) 925-1938.

 

That’s all for now.  Hope to see you at Mass tomorrow.

 

DISCLAIMER:  This e mail is intended to help those of us who have been
impacted by Hurricane Katrina.  It may contain information that is somewhat
legal  in nature or affect your taxes.

 

References to legal or tax considerations are intended only to alert you in
a general way of those considerations which may effect you.  We do not
engage in the practice of law.   All legal considerations must be referred
to and passed upon by your attorney.  All tax considerations should be
reviewed by your tax preparer.

 
Paul V. Perez
Certified Financial Planner
 
Financial Network Investment Corporation, Member SIPC
7642 Old Hammond Highway
Baton Rouge, LA  70809
(504) 494 3144
(225) 248 6635
(225) 208 1885 (fax)