From: Lila Hayes [lila@carehelp.org]
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 9:16 AM
To: info@carehelp.org
Subject: CARe Update

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Community Assisting Recovery, Inc.

“Survivors Helping Survivors” • 888-216-8264 • carehelp.org

 

Index:

This Week’s Meeting Schedule: See Below

Insurance/Recovery Tip: ...Letter Writing Tips

CARe Update: ...................Christmas Schedule

Sempra Update:................Power line foes near victory, but still angry at SDG&E

Disaster Recovery: ............[Santa Barbara] County Hires Ombudsman to Help Fire Victims In Recovery Process

Insurance Industry: ...........National Disaster Fund Group Expects Backing From Obama

Disaster Prepared: ............After a fire, watch out for debris flow!

Disaster News: ……............Marek Fire Victims Say They Have Been Forgotten

Quote of the week: .......….Pamela Muntz, Greensburg KS

Help CARe provide assistance to disaster survivors and continue our free services.

Click HERE to donate.

 

 

 

This Week’s Meeting Schedule:

Date

Time

Topic

Location

One-on-One appointments only. Call 818-216-0123

 

Insurance/Recovery Tip:

Letter Writing Tips

Early on in a claim, most people do not need to get an attorney involved for writing simple letters to the insurance company. Sending a letter on an attorney’s letterhead can raise red flags at the insurance company. If the insurance company thinks you’re represented by an attorney, they can no longer talk to you directly. Until the time that an attorney is clearly needed, stick to these simple letter writing tips.

When writing to your insurance company, a brief, non-threatening letter tends to have the best results. Ask your question or make your statement in as few words as possible. If you can ask or say it in one sentence, you have probably written the perfect letter.  Too many words gives the insurance company too many words to possibly use against you rather than for you.

A letter could be, in its entirety, “You promised to send a payment check in the amount of $ XX,XXX a week ago.  I have not received it.  When can I expect to receive the payment?  Thank you for your prompt attention.”  Or, you could write, “I received a copy of your edited compilation of my personal property inventory.  I noticed that you deducted excessive and unreasonable depreciation from many of our items.  Please correct the depreciated amounts or set up an appointment with me to properly assess the depreciated amounts.  Thank you for your prompt attention in this matter.”

The following is another example of an effective, one sentence letter that conveys the message and gets the job done:

[Date]                                                

Policy:                   [Policy number]
Claim:                    [Claim Number]
Date of Loss:      [Date of Loss]
Loss Address:    [Address]

Dear [Adjuster or Adjuster’s supervisor]:

Please send us a copy of our entire insurance policy since our records were lost in the recent fire.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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CARe Update:

Christmas Schedule
Our weekly newsletter will be going on hiatus while its editor takes a Christmas vacation. This will be the last newsletter of the year. Although our schedule is subject to change, our next group meeting will be taking place on January 15 at the Montecito Library.

If you an urgent situation, please call to make a one-on-one appointment 818-216-0123.

Happy Holidays!!!

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Sempra Update:

Power line foes near victory, but still angry at SDG&E
December 13, 2008

NORTH COUNTY – For three years a core group of people has been battling San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s plan to build a massive power line. 

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20081213-9999-1m13line.html

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Disaster Recovery News:                   

[Santa Barbara] County Hires Ombudsman to Help Fire Victims In Recovery Process
11/22/2008

Tony Nisich is available now to troubleshoot problems for residents beginning to rebuild after the Tea Fire.

Santa Barbara County residents who live within the county’s unincorporated jurisdiction, including Montecito, now have a special ombudsman who can assist in troubleshooting potential problems as they begin the rebuilding process after the Tea Fire.

http://www.noozhawk.com/local_news/article/112108_county_hires_ombudsman_to_help_fire_victims_in_recovery_process 

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Insurance Industry News:                  

National Disaster Fund Group Expects Backing From Obama
12/8/2008

Leaders of ProtectingAmerica.org, [launched with major support by Allstate] a group that has been campaigning for a federally backed national catastrophe program, said they expect more success with the arrival of the Obama administration.

[Read more HERE ]

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Disaster Prepared:

[With the rains upon us again, I thought it was prudent to repeat the debris flow warnings]

After a fire, watch out for debris flow!

Santa Barbara County put out a good booklet on preparing for debris flow. Burn areas (even from up to 3-4 years ago) please prepare for the rainy season!
http://www.countyofsb.org/pwd/water/downloads/homeownersguide.pdf

There is a video about Debris Flow available online by the USGS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVkVsKsUPOY

There is a really good book that has a good chapter on the Southern California fire/flood cycle. The book is called The Control of Nature. This book does not talk about how to prepare, but it does describe how it happens.

This is a very serious threat and not just for people who live in areas hit by fires this year. Debris flows can happen even years after a fire. Two months after the Old Fire (that we were effected by) two people were killed during debris flow on Christmas Day. Here is a video from someone who lived in the area:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3W-wDIR-Os

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Disaster News:

Marek Fire Victims Say They Have Been Forgotten
December 14, 2008

LAKE VIEW TERRACE -- About 40 residents of a small trailer park that was hit hard in the Marek Fire claim government aid is predominantly going to the 500 residents of a 'swanky' mobile home park that burned down in the Sayre fire a month later.

http://www.ktla.com/landing/?Marek-Fire-Victims-Say-They-Have-Been-Fo=1&blockID=161592&feedID=171

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Quote of the Week:                   

"... all of a sudden you realize how much you lost. Everything was gone and until I see it coming back, I didn't really realize the loss that we had had, it was 40 years of memories that are gone, 40 years of some things we'll never get back again. But yet I still feel that we're blessed to be in this place. It's just your heart aches for those things that you've lost."

 Pamela Muntz,  Greenburg KS Resident, Episode 4; Greensburg:

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Help CARe provide assistance to disaster survivors and continue our free services:

http://www.carehelp.org/contribute/contribute.htm

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Community Assisting Recovery, Inc.

19360 Rinaldi Street, PMB 220, Northridge CA 91326
www.carehelp.org
888-216-8264