Last chance: Sandy claims deadline today

Tens of thousands of eligible New Jerseyans have so far declined to have their superstorm Sandy flood insurance claims looked at again, despite the federal government's pledge to cut checks for anyone who was shorted initially.

The original deadline to sign up for the Sandy Claims Review was pushed back 30 days, and that time is almost up. Barring another extension, the review window will close at 11:59 p.m. tonight. To apply, call the Hurricane Sandy Claims Review Center at 866-337-4262 or visit www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-nfip-claims.

Dawn Markoski and her family received no compensation from their insurance company for foundation damage after Sandy. This was, she said, despite the fact that the chimney detached from her Beach Haven house when 3 feet of water came rushing through.

"If we had received the correct amount from the beginning, we would probably be done by now and back to normal" she told the Asbury Park Press on Monday.

However, Markoski said she and her husband went through the claims review process and have been awarded nearly $56,000. That money, which they have yet to receive, will go toward finishing their home, where the couple have been living while doing the necessary repairs.

"I know everyone is tired — so are we — but the expense to repair or rebuild is much more than the insurance companies paid out," she said.

FEMA signaled in March that it intended to develop a process by which as many as 142,000 homeowners in the Sandy-damaged zone, including 74,000 in New Jersey, could have their claims reviewed. On May 18, the Sandy Claims Review opened for business.

As of last week, 27,817 policyholders across the Sandy-affected region had asked for their claims to get a second look, and 16,364 were being reviewed. More than 14,000 were in the review pipeline when FEMA agreed to extend the enrollment period on Sept. 15.

Though actual payments have been slow, FEMA data on the first 715 awards show that the average person is getting back about $16,000, while one homeowner topped $103,000. A total of 92 checks have been issued, according to FEMA, despite promises from the agency that the entire process would take no longer than 90 days.

Just a few hours before the original deadline, FEMA agreed to an extension that had been contingent on a policy change by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Homeowners had been nervous about losing rebuilding grants, such as New Jersey's Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Elevation and Mitigation program, because of the murky relationship between flood insurance proceeds and the federal recovery money that supports the RREM program.

Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748; razimmer@app.com