IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Shortchanged Hurricane Sandy Victims Get More Flood Insurance Cash

Many people who complained that a federal flood insurance program shortchanged them after Superstorm Sandy are getting more cash after a FEMA review.
Image: Dawn Markoski, Stanley “Sonny” Markoski
Stanley “Sonny” Markoski and his wife, Dawn, submitted an application for a FEMA review of their flood insurance claim on their home in Long Beach Township, New Jersey, after it was damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The review concluded that they were owed an additional $55,972 in insurance money, nearly double what they had originally been paid.Mel Evans / AP, file

NEW YORK -- NEW YORK -- Many people who complained that a federal flood insurance program shortchanged them after Superstorm Sandy are getting some validation three years later.

A Federal Emergency Management Agency review launched in the spring has been finding that many policyholders in the National Flood Insurance Program should have gotten more money to fix their homes.

The examination is far from complete, but so far FEMA has found that roughly 60 percent of the 17,000 policyholders participating in the review were entitled to more money.

Image: Dawn Markoski, Stanley “Sonny” Markoski
Stanley “Sonny” Markoski and his wife, Dawn, submitted an application for a FEMA review of their flood insurance claim on their home in Long Beach Township, New Jersey, after it was damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The review concluded that they were owed an additional $55,972 in insurance money, nearly double what they had originally been paid.Mel Evans / AP, file

On average, they are getting an additional $15,000.

Reviewers are finding that insurance adjusters made errors like forgetting to add sales tax to claims.

Flood Insurance: 5 Things You Need to Know When the Water Hits

FEMA's new flood insurance chief, Roy Wright, pledges that the agency is making changes.